


Between The Lines

by Ekala, kitarin



Category: Kamen Rider Gaim
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2014-04-03
Packaged: 2018-01-06 02:08:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1101136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ekala/pseuds/Ekala, https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitarin/pseuds/kitarin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaito is determined to find out exactly what that belt is and where Kouta got it from... which leads to unexpected results.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Baron's base was tense.

They'd lost, for the first time in as long as pretty much anyone could remember. Kaito was ignoring even Zack and Peco, thoroughly absorbed in his tablet, doing research on this so-called 'Armored Rider'.

_Kazuraba Kouta_ , apparently. As it turned out, he was easy to find - he had been, at one point, a member of Team Gaim, but had left a while ago for reasons unknown.

If today had been any indication, he hadn't really left, after all.

It was that belt that he couldn't find anywhere. The net didn't have a single damn decent bit of information on it. Every article was about Kouta, about the suit - even those that mentioned the belt only talked about how mysterious it was.

Infuriating.

This Kazuraba Kouta wasn't someone who should have been able to obtain an A class lock seed, either. They weren't cheap, and Sid didn't take charity cases. Kaito hadn't seen a single other team with one of them so far, much less someone with the balls to actually use one in the Invess games.

Sid was an option for information, but knowing him it would cost an exorbitant amount. Kaito wasn't willing to pay for things he should be able to find out himself.

That left one route - Kazuraba Kouta himself.

Abruptly, Kaito got up to leave, throwing a look to Zack that meant to get everyone out. Kaito didn't share his space out of kindness.

The Gaim base wasn't far, and after cornering one of the brats who left early, Kaito knew that Kouta was in fact, still inside.

Now it was just a matter of waiting, and that was something Kaito had infinite patience for...

\---

Inside the Gaim garage, a celebratory party was in full swing and Kouta was wholeheartedly enjoying being the center of attention. He'd already recounted his magnificent defeat of the horrendous monster three times to his enraptured teammates, eaten an ungodly amount of fresh popcorn and shown off a new move he'd been working on in his spare time.

Now he sat spread out across one of the couches, watching as Mai and Rika practiced the latest team dance, more content than he'd felt in... far too long.

He'd really _really_ missed this.

Tossing the belt lightly from one hand to the other, he contemplated the events of the last few days. After causing such disasters at all of his part-time jobs, he'd really thought this thing was just a useless piece of junk...

But if it turned out to be a way to protect the team... to still be connected to them...

There was nothing that meant more to him.

Of course, that didn't mean he was going to give up trying to find a part-time job, help out his sister, be a … a _responsible_ grown-up...

But... the team needed him too, especially with Yuuya still missing.

There had to be a way to balance all of it, right?

_...in the end, all you can count on is your own strength..._

The words drifted back into Kouta's mind unexpectedly and he pulled out the pineapple lockseed, holding it up to study it more closely in the rainbow-colored glow of the lights strung around the garage.

Fair and square he'd won it off of Baron's leader today, but... he couldn't help having been impressed by the way he'd taken on that monster using Kouta's sword and not a single shred or armor or anything. Most people would have run screaming, wouldn't they? Really, what Baron's leader had done was... kinda crazy.

“Kouta~!”

Micchi's voice interrupted his thoughts and Kouta sat up, abruptly realizing that almost everyone had gone home for the night.

“Daydreaming again?” Mai teased him as they picked up their bags, heading for the door. “Come on, it's getting late!”

Scooping up his own bag, Kouta jogged a few steps to catch up with them as they reached the stairs to the door, offering immediately, “I'll walk you home if you want, Mai.”

“Don't worry about it,” she smiled back as they all traipsed outside and she locked the door behind them. “Micchi already offered, so go home and get some rest after that battle today, okay?”

Kouta nodded, waving off her somewhat worried expression, and then slapped hands with Micchi before bidding them both goodnight. He watched them as they turned the corner, spinning the pineapple lockseed around on one finger until they were out of sight.

The sun was already almost set, turning the clouds a deep rose color where the sky wasn't already dark... he was definitely going to be late for dinner. Kouta clicked the lockseed back into its hanging place before jamming his hands in his pockets, turning to head for home. 

\---

_Finally._ Thankfully, Kouta seemed to be going home alone, which meant less trouble.

Kaito strode after Kouta, catching him by the shoulder once he got close enough, squeezing firmly. "Come with me." His tone left no room for argument.

Kouta nearly tripped over his own feet in surprise, and did trip over his words. "Eeehh? Y-you, again?" He didn't fight as Kaito turned them, now directing him away from home, but he did continue to ask. "What are you doing here? ...What do you want with me?"

Leading Kouta back to base was the easiest. And, if Zack wanted to keep his position, there would be no one there to bother them. "We need to talk." Again, no room for argument. Not that Kouta was putting up much of a fight.

"As long as it's _talk_ and not _fight_ ," Kouta emphasized with a frown, vaguely uncomfortable as he was nearly steered down the street. It wouldn't make sense to want an Invess battle at this hour after what had happened today, but with all the strange things going on lately… "'Cause I kinda think that fight earlier was enough for today?"

It wasn't as if they really knew each other - well, Kouta knew the other boy's name was Kaito, but that was only because he knew the names of all the different Beat Rider team leaders. He had wondered why Kaito hadn't recognized him when they'd run into each other at the park the other day, but then - he hadn't been wearing his Gaim hoodie, and he'd been sorta… out of the scene for awhile anyway.

When Kaito didn't acknowledge him immediately, he prodded again, a little more insistently. "And talk about what, exactly?"

The fight earlier - more specifically, the _loss_ earlier - still ground on Kaito's nerves. He grit his teeth, fuming silently, distinctly _not_ thinking about it more.

He couldn't deny that the curiosity intrigued him, though. Kouta could have been annoying with it, but instead it was... refreshing. He didn't just swallow everything Kaito gave him like the rest of the idiots around him. Perhaps he had some promise.

"That belt you have." They were nearing the base now. It was only another block or so. "I want to know more about it. It's extremely interesting."

Kouta perked up a little at the mention of the belt, once again enjoying the attention he'd been getting because of it. A smirk rose on his face and his step quickened a little, until they were walking in time side by side, instead of Kaito propelling him forward.

"It's pretty awesome, isn't it?" he couldn't help but brag a little, trying to catch Kaito's expression out of the corner of his eye as he folded his arms proudly behind his head.

He was well aware of how easily he'd won that fight and obtained the pineapple lock seed from Baron's leader, but… he hadn't forgotten how bravely - _insanely_ \- Kaito had taken on that monster without being protected by a belt the way Kouta had been during the fight. Kaito definitely had more than just money supporting his ability to stay on top - he had some serious guts, and that was definitely something Kouta admired.

Kaito relaxed a bit, letting a smirk tease at the corner of his lips. Kouta seemed like he was going to be forthcoming with information - always useful.

"Yeah, it's pretty awesome." And the base. He let go of Kouta to unlock the door, satisfied by the empty silence that greeted him, holding the door open behind him. "Which is why I want to hear more about it." With any luck, by the end of this, he'd know where to obtain his own, or at least have some leads for further searching.

Brushing past Kaito, Kouta stepped into the room and tried to keep himself from gaping at the huge open space. "Is this where your team hangs out?" he asked, walking further into the room and turning in a circle to get a good look around. The old garage that they used as Gaim's hangout was cozy and served them well enough for practicing, dozing, goofing off… but it was nothing like this. "Or do you live here? Both?"

Kaito tossed his coat onto a chair, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. The awe was something he'd come to expect, but he had hoped to continue on their previous topic of conversation.

"Both, actually." It was far more cost-effective to have the base and his apartment in the same place, after all. And until recently, being around Baron logos hadn't made him want to tear his hair out. It occurred to him that Kouta was probably the first person to ever ask him that question, who was again more intuitive that he would have guessed.

He gestured at a chair. "Sit. I'll get us something to drink. Do you prefer coffee, tea, water...?" No reason to not be hospitable.

Kouta sat down at the table, pulling his bag off and dumping it rather unceremoniously on the floor beside his chair. Wrinkling his nose at the idea of coffee or tea, he decided it was easiest just to be honest. "Water, I guess - unless you have juice?" Turning a genuine grin on Baron's leader, he crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned back in the chair. "I kinda live on Drupers most days!"

For a moment, he wondered idly if it was odd to be hanging out with someone who was supposed to be his enemy, but so far Kaito hadn't said or done anything to put Kouta on his guard. It might be a wise idea not to tell Mai or Micchi that he'd been over here, though… they were both pretty sensitive when it came to team rankings and stuff like that.

Kaito couldn't help his smile at that, but hopefully Kouta didn't notice. "Juice, then." He disappeared into a side room, pulling out a pair of glasses, filling his own with water and Kouta's with some orange-banana concoction he had laying around. After a moment of thought, he rifled through a pantry, producing a couple of fruit tarts, as well.

With a glass in each hand, the plate of tarts somewhat precariously balanced between them, Kaito re-emerged. He set everything down on the table, taking the seat next to Kouta (friendlier, less intimidating than the cross-table seat) and settled in.

"Now. About that belt."

Sliding the glass closer, Kouta sniffed at the juice to determine its contents before taking an experimental sip. "Mm, this is a great combi," he complimented Kaito, his eyes lighting up as he noticed the plate of tarts. Kouta did love to eat, and especially loved fruit, so Kaito was already fast-winning him over with the treats, and he found himself opening up a little as he munched.

"What did you want to know about it?" he queried, nibbling around the edges of the tart until only a circle of center was left. "I mean, you saw it in action - lock seed goes in, sword goes slicey-slice, giant fruit drops from the sky…" He trailed off, using the remains of the tart as his makeshift lock seed while demonstrating his favorite posing. "HENSHIN!"

Kaito could never get enough praise for his cooking, and hearing it from someone who didn't even know any of this was his... well, it was flattering on a whole separate level than usual.

On the other hand, the roundabout talk was beginning to get on his nerves.

"I wouldn't expect you to know how it works... it's obviously mysterious." Kaito paused, taking a sip of water. "But I was more referring to... where'd you get it? How did you also get your hands on two high-class lock seeds?"

Kouta continued to devour the strawberry tart, nodding to acknowledge the questions. This was… a touchier subject for him, as he wasn't really sure he wanted to delve into the entire truth. He still wasn't sure that the mysterious forest hadn't been some sort of fever dream or hallucination - except for the fact that Mai had been there with him, but then, they hadn't really talked about it since then. Was someone like Kaito even going to believe him if he said he'd picked the belt up in a mysterious glowing forest he'd found after climbing through an enormous zipper?

Probably not.

"I got it from Yuuya," he said casually, then promptly began licking the flaky crumbs of the tart off of each and every single one of his fingers. _Wow, this is really delicious!_

"The Gaim leader?" That wasn't what he was expecting. Why wouldn't he just use it himself? Kouta still hadn't been officially re-added to the team roster, so why would the Gaim leader give something so obviously powerful to someone not necessarily committed to the team? Was it really for the Invess games, or was there another purpose? Where had Yuuya been recently, anyways?

Hmm. That gave him a lot to ponder about.

He caught himself staring as Kouta was licking the remains of his tart off his fingers, though. "...enjoying that, are you?"

There was no need to give further explanation if Kaito wasn't going to press him for it, so Kouta jumped on the change in topic with an enthusiastic nod. "It's really good!"

Besides, he didn't really know a lot more about the belt itself anyway, and it would be a shame if Kaito kicked him out before he had the chance to help himself to a second tart. Lifting another one off the tray, he realized Kaito was still _staring_ at him. "…what?" He raised a curious eyebrow. "Do I have crumbs on my face?"

It hit Kaito, quite suddenly, that he wanted Kouta. To join his team, to be his ally, certainly, but more importantly – he _wanted_ him.

That was... new.

He was attractive, but not so much so that he'd even noticed at first. He was smart, but not any sort of genius. He was intuitive, quick in some ways, but also a complete dunce in others. But none of those were anything special, so why? Why couldn't he stop thinking about him? Why did he feel so _drawn_ to him?

Questions to dwell upon later. For now, there was something he _wanted_ , and Kaito intended to _take_ it.

He smirked, leaning over, brushing his thumb over the corner of Kouta's mouth, wiping at imaginary crumbs, letting his hand linger. "Just nice to see someone enjoying my pastries so _thoroughly_."

Kouta blinked once, twice, his mouth dropping open just a little in surprise as he quite clearly felt the shift in tension between them. There was an intensity to Kaito's gaze that he couldn't look away from, despite feeling uncertain about what it meant. The gesture was far too intimate for how little they knew each other and yet he didn't feel any urge to brush him away.

No, instead, it… it made him want to rise to the challenge. If this was a game of chicken, he could play along, at least for a little while. And if it was something else, well… he'd cross that bridge or not when he got there. "Oh?" he played innocent, finally recovering his words as he took a bite out of the next tart. "You made these yourself?"

Kaito hummed affirmatively, not moving his hand an inch, feeling the shift-slide of skin as Kouta continued munching. He was taking advantage of what was presented to him without restraint. Impressive. He hadn't been intimidated in the least by anything Kaito had brought forth yet. ...Perhaps that was part of the attraction.

"I did." Kaito trailed his hand down Kouta's throat, tapping fingers along his necklace. "Dancing isn't my only skill."

Kouta choked a little on the next bite of tart, spluttering a few crumbs, not quite able to hide the surprise in his eyes this time around. "Oh. Well. Yeah. Skills."

_He's talking about the tarts._

"Tart skills." Kaito's hand was warm where it rested against Kouta's neck, toying with the necklace, and he swallowed hard, searching for a response while his brain went into something like a mayday-mode.

_No, he's most definitely not._

Despite his experience being limited to a couple of short-term girlfriends and a… weird flirtation with Gaim's missing leader, Kouta wasn't exactly an idiot either. "Dance skills?" he finally attempted to joke back, neither pulling away nor exactly encouraging. After all, _if_ he was reading the situation wrong, he'd be making an enormous ass of himself in front of someone who might then _kick_ his ass for it. Not that he couldn't hold his own in a fight. Not that this felt like a fight. Far from it, actually…but wait. Weren't they supposed to be sworn rivals? "Just you wait," he continued, taking the statement at safely-face-value, "Gaim's gonna catch up to you in the rankings sooner rather than later."

Kaito watched as Kouta's mind stuttered to a halt, hiding his amusement carefully. Tripping him up was far too satisfying.

He wanted to do it more.

"I welcome the challenge." Kaito's hand continued its path down, tracing the v of Kouta's open neckline. "But I don't see what that has to do with you. You don't even wear their.... _uniform_." Not that Kaito really considered it much of a uniform, but Kouta definitely specifically didn't fit in with the rest of their aesthetic.

The words hit a sore point after his happy time at the party tonight and Kouta spluttered indignantly, dropping the remains of the tart back onto the plate. "I still _have_ my Gaim hoodie!" he protested, his expression somewhere between a pout and a grimace. Did he really want to delve into explaining why he wasn't an official member of the team right now or why he'd decided to leave in the first place? Or how, after today, it seemed like he was officially unofficially back _on_ the team, at least in some capacity?

"I've just been… I've had…" he continued, struggling for words for feelings he hadn't even begun to resolve in himself. "Other responsibilities to worry about lately…"

Suddenly, he felt a little too warm, a little too worked up and entirely uncertain of what he was really doing here in the first place…or why this person he hardly knew could get under his skin so easily. "I'm… still part of the team," he said firmly, catching Kaito's wrist with his hand.

Kaito wanted to push further, to make him prove himself, to fight, to spar, to _something_. But Kouta's hand was hot around his wrist, the contact sending a not entirely unwelcome bolt of heat through his system. There was something he wanted more, and to get it, he would have to back down. At the moment, at least, that was an acceptable trade.

"You must be, to be trusted with something as powerful as that belt." He turned his hand, slightly, tapping fingertips lightly against Kouta's wrist. "I just think you'd look good in that style, that's all." Inane bullshit, but lines like that tended to be more effective than he'd normally assume. Actually, if he was going to go that far, he might as well...  
  
"Not as good as you'd look in my bed, of course." The look he gave Kouta let him know he was entirely serious. _Terrible_ line, but the point was to get Kouta back on the correct train of thought, and Kaito could already tell it was better to just be direct with him.

Kouta flushed a little with the compliment, even though he knew very well that it had largely been an accident that he'd discovered the belt in the first place. More so, after putting up with his sister's tirades against the Beat Riders, it felt _good_ to have someone acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, that hoodie-and-sneakers carefree attitude version of himself might actually be _preferable –_ and more _trustworthy_ \- to the respectable button-down grown-up he'd been trying to embrace.

He opened his mouth to thank Kaito for the remark and then ended up gaping as his indignant feelings dissolved and the rest of the words finally processed in his brain.

Apparently, he hadn't been reading the situation wrong at all.

Before he could even come up with a response, he'd almost automatically contemplated the statement - Kaito was definitely attractive, smart, and best of all, a fellow dancer. Someone who, despite being their team rival, understood the world Kouta belonged to a great deal more than most people ever could. Anyway, weren't the leaders of Raid Wild and Invitto good friends, despite being on opposite teams? Couldn't he and Kaito become good friends too?

Dropping Kaito's wrist and sliding his chair back from the table a few inches, he closed and opened his mouth again, aware that his reaction was probably giving away far more than he wanted it to… "I…uh…" he finally started with a shake of his head. Was he trying to come up with an excuse _to_ or _not_ to? He wasn't certain.

The look on Kouta's face told Kaito more than enough, the pause and hesitation giving him the opening he needed. He wanted this too, even if his thoughts hadn't quite caught up to him yet, and he was seemingly willing enough to try. Kaito stood, leaned over Kouta, snuck a hand under his chin again, and connected their lips in one swift movement, forceful but not attempting to push him too far yet.

Kouta's initial response was to flail slightly, his hand wrapping reflexively around Kaito's wrist again as their lips connected and his mind blanked. Heat shot straight down into his gut, and purely instinctually, intuitively, he found himself returning the kiss instead of pulling away. How in the hell this crazy day had landed him exactly here, he wasn't really sure, but he'd always been pretty good at rolling with things… and this wasn't exactly… unpleasant.

In fact, much to his mortification, it was stirring things in him that he didn't really expect.

Once Kouta responded, Kaito pushed further, thrusting his tongue into Kouta's mouth. The taste of fruit still lingered in his mouth and somehow that just egged Kaito on, thoroughly exploring Kouta's mouth without restraint. He pulled back just enough to let them separate after a long moment, breath hot in the millimeters between them. It took him a second to restart his train of thought, licking his lips.

"This is your chance to say no." All the desire in the world wouldn't make him force himself on an unwilling participant. Not that Kouta seemed unwilling - it was simply a courtesy. Choice, after all, was something Kaito valued highly.

Kouta had made a variety of correct choices recently. Kaito hoped he would continue to do so.

"I…" Kouta's lips tingled from their kissing and his heart was definitely beating a little faster than normal, and when he looked back at Kaito's expectant expression, all he really wanted to do was kiss him again.

Did it matter that they didn't know each other that well? That he didn't know what the hell he was doing? Had never really been with a guy before? OK, really, hadn't ever been with anyone, seriously, before? Sure, okay, he'd done some kissing and fondling and stuff… but… _What_ was he thinking of agreeing to, exactly?

"Umm…"

Did it matter that they were supposed to be rivals? Was he really going back to Gaim full-time? What would his sister think? What would Micchi think? Would Mai murder him on the spot? Did they even need to know? Did he… _want_ to do this?

All of these thoughts whirled in Kouta's mind, but… the alternative was turning around and walking out of here right-the-fuck now, and being forced to deal with his own too-tight pants in private.

"…I've never really done this sort of thing before," he finally answered Kaito, figuring he'd simply leave it up to fate. Perhaps knowing he was completely inexperienced would be enough reason for Kaito to kick him out the door instead. Besides, wasn't it fate that had granted him the belt and brought him to this moment in the first place?

Kaito waited patiently as all the gears turned in Kouta's head, certain that he had a million questions and feelings of his own to sort through. Kouta's answer sent the tiniest thrill through him, though he couldn't say why. The obsession with being the first to claim someone wasn't something he understood at all, but... in this instance, at this moment, for this person, it was making his head swirl.

"That's not a no." He kissed Kouta again, softer, hand sliding to the side of his head, luxuriating in the feel of him. When the loud thoughts from his direction did not subside, he just followed that up with another kiss, and another, and another, until he felt Kouta was a little more lost to the pleasure. Thoughts and questions had no place here.

As much as he could have continued on like that, the main room was no place to do anything like it, so Kaito reluctantly slid backwards once he felt Kouta was sufficiently relaxed. He offered a hand, desire flickering over his face as he took another long look at Kouta, imagining exactly everything he could do to him.

"Come." His tone offered no room for argument, though it wasn't quite an order.

Kouta slowly slid his hand into Kaito's, intertwining their fingers and meeting that measuring look with glassy-eyed desire of his own.

It was an enthralling feeling to be wanted in this way, for exactly who he was… a feeling that was unusual and rather overwhelming, but that alone would not have made him stay. This was more than that. Connecting in this way made all of his senses feel awake and on fire the way dancing did - the way nothing else really did, with an insatiable sort of hum that vibrated somewhere deep.

He _wanted_ Kaito, he realized with a jolt, as the other tugged him towards the stairs. This was startling because Kouta was so very used to doing things simply because it was the path of least resistance - what others wanted or expected out of him - "a bad habit", as Mai had complained to him in the past. It was his default state of existence, really.

But this… he wasn't doing this… possibly very foolish thing... right here, right now, for any other reason besides... _wanting to_. He felt surprised at his own conviction.

Kouta took his hand and it felt as if they had sealed a silent contract. It had been a long time since he had done anything remotely like this, Kaito mused, ignoring the tight knot of anxiety sitting on his heart. There was something behind this he couldn't name, something he didn't want to describe, something he couldn't consider right now.

Thoughts, he scolded himself. Stop thinking and start doing.

Kaito led him up the stairs, down the hallway, to another lush room; more red and black than the sleek chrome of the main room. He paused, slipping his hand out of Kouta's, closing the door behind them. He took another long, appraising look at Kouta, rather amused at how out of place he looked, and deftly removed his vest, tossing it over a nearby hook.

Kouta stood somewhat awkwardly just a few steps into the room, glancing around and trying not to be unnerved by the intensity of Kaito's gaze. He wasn't going to back down from his decision now that it had been made, but he also still wasn't quite certain what he'd gotten himself into - should he strip too? He was used to leading when he was hanging out with a girl, but somehow he didn't think his usual moves would go over quite the same way here. After all, if he tried to imagine himself playing with Kaito's hair or tossing an arm around his shoulders…

The mental images made him grin a little goofily and he jammed his hands in his pants pockets, feeling the need to fill the silence. "Your place is really nice… you live here all alone?" Just the size of this room was probably at least half the size of the entire apartment he shared with his sister.

"I do." Kaito stepped deliberately inside Kouta's personal space again. That grin was infuriating, mostly because of how much he wanted to kiss it off of him. "Something weird about that?"

"No…" Kouta's eyebrows furrowed a little, as he hadn't meant for it to sound like an insult at all. He was actually partly impressed, partly envious, but not wanting to admit to either of those feelings. "I didn't mean it in a bad way, honest."

Kaito took Kouta by the shoulders and guided him towards the bed, sitting him down firmly on the edge. "Take off your shoes." He gestured towards Kouta's sneakers, crouching down to untie his own.

"Then... impressed?" Kaito set his shoes to the side, standing again. It took him a lot of hard work to get to where he was. He appreciated the thought.

Kicking off his sneakers so that they flew a few feet away from them, Kouta shrugged a little as he smiled, trying to straddle a line between cool and honest. "I know it's not an easy thing to do - living on your own." Honestly, it made him wonder just a little bit about why Kaito was even interested in him, but not enough to actually question him about it. Not when the uncomfortable tightness of his own pants was such a distraction from a coherent train of thought.

Kaito hummed, the corners of his mouth turning up just a bit. "Definitely true." Kouta was innocent, perhaps, but not necessarily naive. _Cute._

He left the conversation at that, bending down to kiss Kouta again, hand sliding around the back of his neck to keep him in place.

_Oh_. That was the closest he'd come to seeing Kaito actually _smile._ Kouta's heart flip-flopped in the moment before their lips connected again and he lifted a hand to rest on Kaito's shoulder in return.

Kaito ran his tongue alone Kouta's lips, slowly pushing him back onto the bed and climbing over him, free hand running down his side. They fit together better than he had expected, and he found himself wanting more, _now_.

Kouta's lips parted as they sank back into the softness of the bed, his tongue darting out to dance playfully against Kaito's in return. He might have been inexperienced, but he wasn't exactly shy and his other hand found its way to Kaito's hip, fingers digging in surprisingly hard.

Kaito kept his kisses softer, tongue twirling with Kouta's, scraping his teeth gently across his bottom lip. His hand trailed back up Kouta's side and across his chest, beginning the process of unbuttoning his shirt.

Not about to be left behind - or maybe just because he couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit of challenge to keep up - Kouta's hand slid from Kaito's shoulder to the top button of his shirt, fumbling a little until it slipped open.

Kaito couldn't help the twitch of another smile into their kiss, attempting to disguise it by forcing his tongue deeper. Kouta was a fast learner, at least, though Kaito was already halfway done with his buttons. He'd had more than enough practice opening button-downs one-handed.

Kouta arched a little as Kaito's hand grazed against the bare skin of his chest, thoroughly lost in the kisses that only seemed to delve deeper and hotter as they continued. In fact, he felt warm everywhere now, uncomfortably so, flushed with arousal to the tips of his ears.

Kaito finally popped open the last button, sliding his hand over Kouta's bare chest, the heat he found there only multiplying his own flush. He pulled away from their kiss, nipping at Kouta's ear as he quickly unbuttoned his own shirt, slipping out of it and tossing it aside.

Eyes drifting open as Kaito shifted above him, Kouta took a moment to appreciate the finely toned muscles of his abs before pushing up on one hand himself. Shrugging his shirt off of his shoulders, he slid one arm out of it, then swapped hands to pull off the other sleeve.

Kaito discarded his bracelet as well before shoving Kouta's shirt to the side and pushing him back down again, kissing him roughly. A slight repositioning and he had insinuated a knee between Kouta's, one hand roaming over his chest as the other scraped lines into his arm.

Kouta returned the kiss with equal force, a playful war for dominance between their tongues, and both of his hands spread over the warmth of Kaito's back, dragging nails lightly as he explored the expanse of newly-bared skin.

Kaito quickly became frustrated as Kouta refused to submit, growling deep in his throat and delving deeper. He thought he'd wanted submission, but this fighting was arousing him far more than he'd like. It was infuriating, he thought, grinding down against Kouta, pleasure arcing through him.

The kiss finally broke with a stuttered gasp from Kouta, his head rolling back as their hips met, the delicious friction nearly short-circuiting him completely. Without even really thinking about what he was doing, his hands slid to Kaito's ass, pressing firmly, begging for more without words.

Kaito immediately took advantage of the neck presented to him, scraping his teeth over the nearest patch of skin, hips continuing a slow roll. He'd had enough of clothes and directed his attention to divesting Kouta of his, working at his fly.

Kouta couldn't help the soft noise of pleasure that escaped his lips at the feeling of teeth against the sensitive skin of his neck and he made no effort to stop Kaito from removing the rest of his clothing. He did force himself to open his eyes again, though, looking up at Kaito with obvious want and just a hint of nervousness in his expression.

Kaito shook as the noise from Kouta shot a bolt of pleasure through him, biting just a bit harder at the spot before withdrawing. Kouta still seemed a touch nervous, something Kaito hoped to resolve with another kiss, or three, or ten.

"Pants," he finally murmured, slipping off Kouta momentarily to remove his own, entirely unashamed of his nudity or arousal.

The sight of Kaito standing naked before him was far more of a turn-on than Kouta expected and he swallowed hard as he sat up, feeling his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. Part of him couldn't quite believe this was reality and the other part of him was simply yelling at his brain to _shut up_ , and then he was holding out a hand to Kaito, much the way Kaito had held one out to him earlier.

Kaito smirked as he watched Kouta watch him, taking his hand as it was offered and pulling him up. He smoothly slid a hand around Kouta's waist, pulling them tight together, fingers dipping under his loosened waistband, hips swaying together just so.

Kouta intertwined their fingers, leaning into Kaito, intensely aware of their closeness and of the ease with which they moved together. Once again following instinct, he pressed his lips against the curve where Kaito's neck met his shoulder, wanting to return the pleasure he'd been given.

Kaito tilted his head to the side, breath irritatingly shaky, and slipped both hands down Kouta's pants, squeezing his ass firmly. The goal was less clothing, he remembered, tugging at Kouta's pants and attempting to slide them off of him.

With one hand on Kaito's shoulder for balance, Kouta stepped out of his pants as they hit the floor, keenly aware of his nudity and the heat passing between them.

Kaito let the tension linger for a moment, fingers tapping lightly along Kouta's hips, sparks running between them. Kouta's nervousness was tangible. "Breathe," Kaito murmured, nipping at Kouta's ear.

Kaito's voice vibrated deliciously down his spine, and Kouta couldn't help but comply, exhaling shakily as he moved his other hand to Kaito's hip.

It was almost on a whim that he'd agreed to this, purely on the feeling that they somehow understood one another, that Kaito genuinely liked him for who he was… but now that they were standing here with nothing between them, Kouta had to admit to himself that he'd never felt this intensity of attraction towards anyone before. It was no wonder he hadn't been able to get the fight from this afternoon out of his head... and apparently, neither had Kaito.

This realization in place, he finally started to relax a little, the hand on Kaito's shoulder sliding up to curl around the back of his neck a moment before Kouta leaned in to kiss him again.

Kaito kissed back, licking his way into Kouta's mouth again. He far preferred this slightly pushy side to Kouta, which presented all sorts of complications. But for now, there was heat and pleasure and their tongues twirling around each other, and it was intoxicating.

His fingers squeezed gently where they rested on Kouta's hips, holding him as Kaito ground against him, shuddering at the direct pleasure.

Kouta's knees felt weak as Kaito ground their hips together, the friction between them sending jolts of pleasure all the way to his toes. Both of his hands wandered over Kaito's back and shoulders as they devoured each other, the beads of his bracelet rolling across bare skin as he explored every inch he could reach.

_More_. Kaito pushed Kouta back towards the bed, nearly throwing him onto it, climbing back on top of him to plaster them together again. One hand wound tight in Kouta's hair, the other scratched down his side, hips grinding down hard, sealing their mouths together as if he intended to suck every last breath out of Kouta's lungs.

Kouta invoked a fire in him, he realized, one that was quickly threatening to consume him as he willingly threw more fuel to the flames. It was a kind of passion he hadn't ever quite felt before, and Kaito couldn't stop his desire to have all of it.

Kouta moaned into their kiss, melting into the bed under Kaito's attack as the hard heat of his dick ground down perfectly against the underside Kouta's own, legs tangling together. He was drowning in this moment, struggling for air, uncertain if the pounding in his ears was Kaito's heartbeat or his own. They couldn't get close enough to each other to satisfy and he raked his nails down Kaito's back as he pushed up against him, hips thrusting hard for more friction. _More._

Kaito growled, heat pulsing through him at Kouta's every movement, body aching for more. He sucked roughly at Kouta's lip, breaking their kiss, shifting to bite down along his neck again.

"Let me fuck you." It was more of a question than some things he'd said tonight, but Kaito couldn't keep the note of desperation out of his voice.

A jolt of surprise ripped through Kouta at the words as he panted for air, his head spinning. He wasn't an idiot - he knew the intimacy that request entailed - but Kaito hadn't done a thing tonight except drive him to pleasure beyond his best imagination, so Kouta didn't feel there was any reason not to trust that he knew what he was doing. But…

Kouta fisted a hand in Kaito's hair, dragging the other boy's face away from his neck until they could look each other in the eyes. He could _hear_ the desperation that mirrored his own desire in Kaito's words, but he needed to _see_...

"Kaito..." he found himself breathing out as their gazes locked and warm eyes heavy-lidded with passion burned into his. "Okay. Yes."

" _Kouta_ \--" The name escaped him in a groan as Kaito surged forward to lock their lips together again, needy and forceful. He reluctantly untangled himself, clambering over to the nightstand to retrieve a bottle of lube, and wedged himself between Kouta's legs as fast as he could manage.

Lube, fingers, slick, and then he was kissing Kouta again, softer, gentler, distracting him with tongue and teeth as he held him open and worked a finger inside him.

The feeling was weird and unusual and Kouta wasn't sure that he actually liked it, but it didn't really hurt and he wasn't going to back down now anyway. Kaito's kisses were rather distracting, soft and dizzying, and he focused on that instead, and on replaying the sound of his name in Kaito's voice over and over and over.

Kaito worked him open gently, slowly, searching for his good spots and exploiting them when he could. This was an exchange, not a give or take, not a race - he wanted Kouta to enjoy getting fucked as much as he was certain he was going to enjoy fucking him.

Without much warning at all, Kaito's fingers hit a certain point and pleasure suddenly rippled down Kouta's body, his fingers digging hard into Kaito's shoulder in response. Their kiss broke again as he moaned, soft and low, his hips thrusting up towards Kaito's hand with renewed interest.

Kaito bit his lip, taking a second to reel himself in, breathing Kouta's name again shakily on his exhale. He thrust at that point, again, again, feeling Kouta's body twitch under him.

"Are you ready?" Kouta _felt_ ready, but Kaito meant more in an emotional sense, he supposed.

Kouta could hardly form a coherent thought at this point, his entire body vibrating with need, and he very much wanted to reach down and wrap a hand around his aching dick. As he blinked up at Kaito, taking a moment to find his breath and his wits, he realized that wasn't the only thing he wanted to touch. Reaching a hand between them, he let his fingers graze over Kaito's dick, watching his expression intently.

Kaito groaned, brows furrowing, eyes only staying open to challenge Kouta's gaze. He shifted forward to bite at Kouta's lips, thrusting his fingers lightly again, amusement flickering over his features.

"Should I take that as a yes?"

A flicker of a smile passed over Kouta's features at that groan and he bit back at Kaito's lips, letting his fingers graze again before whispering against his lips. "It's not a no."

Kaito's hips rolled into Kouta's touch as he hummed in amusement, pressing forward to kiss him thoroughly again. "Yes, then," he murmured, slowly sliding his fingers out and dragging them up over Kouta's dick.

Kouta moaned again, his eyes rolling back into his head as Kaito finally touched him. "Y-yes- _Yes,"_ he stuttered, his back arching as his hips thrust upward, his entire body already begging for release.

Kaito shuddered, not wasting another moment, slicking himself and leaning back enough to position everything correctly. "Breathe," he said again, just before pushing carefully forward, his own breath heavy as Kouta's heat slowly surrounded him.

It hurt just a bit, but it was nothing he couldn't handle, and Kouta did as Kaito suggested, exhaling slowly as he let himself adjust to the feeling of Kaito's dick filling him. He didn't want to be all emotional about it, but it was still the first time he'd ever been this close with someone before, and he bit his lip as he looked up at his lover with half-lidded eyes. There was no way he was ever going to forget this moment.

Kaito sheathed himself fully and took a long moment to breathe, letting them both adjust. The look Kouta was giving him was strange, twisting knots in his chest where there should only be smooth, hot pleasure, so he bent to mouth along his neck again. His first thrust was a long, smooth slide, a practice in luxuriating in the pleasure of being connected.

Kouta rolled with the movement, eyes fluttering closed as they came together again, burying a hand in Kaito's hair with a soft sigh. His other hand found Kaito's arm, wrapping around it with a gentle squeeze to let him know it was okay to keep going.

Kaito picked up the pace rapidly, patience dwindling as it became evident Kouta could handle it. He shifted angles, driving in with short, fast thrusts, moving a hand to Kouta's dick.

Moans and sighs and noises Kouta had never heard himself make before tumbled from his mouth as he arched to meet Kaito's every thrust, heat coiling tight in his gut as their tempo increased. There was no way he'd be able to hold on for very long with his dick sliding deliciously through Kaito's strong hand, all of his senses deliriously overwhelmed as he hovered on the brink of ecstasy.

The heat, the pleasure, the feel of Kouta's body around him, the sound of Kouta losing himself - it was all driving Kaito entirely crazy, white-hot fire pooling inside him as his hips snapped forward again and again. " _Kouta_ \--" he gasped, falling onto one arm, needing to taste his mouth again, to be as connected to him as possible.

" _Kaito--_ " he gasped back, and then his breath was swallowed up by Kaito's lips crushed against his again. Stars exploded behind Kouta's eyes as his entire body tensed, toes curling, shuddering with waves of bliss as he tumbled over the edge into oblivion.

Kaito felt Kouta tense under him – _around_ him - and the sound of his name, that feeling, set off his own explosion of pleasure. His hips trembled to a stop, buried deep inside Kouta, lips still locked together, hands clutching at whatever was nearest.

Kouta still had one hand fisted in Kaito's hair as they kissed, but slowly his fingers relaxed, his hand slipping to curl around Kaito's neck instead, keeping him close. He felt completely boneless and supremely happy and entirely disinclined to move just yet.

Muscles slowly relaxed and Kaito found himself nearly collapsed on top of Kouta as he slowly came back to his senses, still lazily kissing the other, lips tingling at the feeling. He slowly, carefully, shifted again, moving to lay halfway on top of Kouta, keeping their lips in contact.

Kouta returned every lazy kiss, completely content to lay warm and satiated with Kaito's body curled around his. Reality still felt like some distant entity he could ignore for a little awhile longer...

Kaito almost felt like he could fall asleep like this, warm and contented and curled up. But that was... not allowed. He shifted again, peeling away, frowning slightly.

"....would you like a towel?" He sat up, rolling his shoulders, stretching a bit. Kouta would clean up and leave, like everyone always did. Why did that feel so odd?

Kouta missed the warmth as soon as Kaito sat up, and his response was soft and unapologetically reluctant as he watched him stretch. "…I guess so?"

Of course, he wasn't going to spend the night or anything. It would be… awkward if Kaito's team saw him here, right? And he was already going to have to make up some creative excuse for his sister. Even though he was a grown-up without a curfew, he knew she still worried when he was out late and didn't at least check in with her. How long had he even been here? He had no idea what time it was.

Still, even though he dare not actually say it out loud, a part of him wished he could stay.

Kaito ignored the tightness in his chest and got up, walking over to the attached bathroom, tossing Kouta a towel. "The bathroom's open to you to, if you'd like it." He didn't mean to sound so business, but it was the only way he knew how to sound. This wasn't anything more than him... showing Kouta his place, right?

Right.

Kaito cleaned himself off quickly enough, pulling on a pair of briefs and returning to sit on the edge the bed. He had nowhere to be, after all.

Nodding his thanks, Kouta accepted the towel and cleaned himself off before leaning over the end of the bed to scoop up his clothes. "Nah, s'okay…" he said softly as he pulled his pants on, then his yanked his shirt on and started buttoning it. "I… should probably get going anyway."

Besides, he had the feeling he was being summarily dismissed, and he'd rather escape while the good feelings were still swirling around inside him. Before he started to second-guess whether or not this had been a bright move on his part. Before he started to wonder just what number he was in terms of those Kaito had taken in this bed. He didn't want to think about any of that right now.

".....probably." This was definitively the first time Kaito had had any issue with this. That was how this all worked, after all; this silent agreement. He wouldn't question it now. It'd worked before.

Still, he couldn't just let him go like that. "Kouta."

Finishing the last button, he glanced over his shoulder at Kaito, his eyes questioning. "Kaito…?" He really hoped this wasn't going to be some speech about keeping his mouth shut about all of this - he wasn't stupid, after all.

Kaito grabbed Kouta and kissed him firmly, hands squeezing him close. ".....take care," he murmured. Perhaps that was too vague, but he couldn't find the words to specify further. Didn't want to, maybe.

Kouta returned the kiss, one hand rising to touch Kaito's arm gently. Once they parted, his face broke into a soft smile, as it was definitely not what he'd been expecting. "You take care too…" he said softly, then rose to his feet. Striking one of Team Gaim's traditional poses, he teased. "Anyway, it's not like I won't see you around on stage."

Kaito rolled his eyes as he crossed his arms to avoid cracking another smile. "You're ridiculous." Not an argument, though. He hoped to see Kouta on stage, as well.

Kouta shrugged, not at all trying to deny that accusation. Hesitating a little, he then asked, "Do you want me to just show myself out? Not like I don't know the way."

Kaito hesitated for a moment as well before standing as well, grabbing a red robe and shrugging it on. "I'll walk you out." He was breaking every unspoken rule, but he would think about everything later. Kaito was certain it would all make sense once he had a chance to logic it out.

Kouta nodded and tried not to think about how watching Kaito walk in nothing but that robe kinda made Kouta want to drag him right back into the bed again. Somehow, he didn't think that would go over so well, but the mere thought made him grin a little wider as he pulled his sneakers on.

The smugness radiating from Kouta was far better than his previous nervousness, and Kaito found the knot in his own chest dissipating. He padded down the stairs, catching sight of the remains of the tarts on the table. For a moment he considered packing a couple up for Kouta, but that was too far over his invisible line. For now.

Kouta spied the tarts as he followed Kaito down the stairs, specifically the one he hadn't finished eating before they'd gone up to the bedroom. Sauntering past Kaito and over to the table, he scooped it up, along with another untouched one, and then grinned at Kaito. "One for the road? Well, one and a half? They _were_ pretty _delicious_."

Kaito paused as Kouta brushed past him, doing more or less exactly what he'd been contemplating. Odd.

"...as I said, I'm glad someone enjoys them so much." He continued towards the door, just a hint of amusement passing over his face.

Kouta took a giant chomp out of the one that was already half-eaten and joined Kaito at the door, glad for the mouthful of pastry because he really had no idea what to say at all. Instead, he lifted one hand in a wave as he stepped through it and out in the cool pre-dawn air. The sun wasn't clearing the horizon yet, but the moon had already sunk for the night, meaning it wasn't far off at all. He'd been here a lot longer than he'd realized. Well, at least he'd make it home before his sister woke up for work.

Kaito half-waved in return, gently closing and locking the door behind him. Company gone, he leaned heavily against the wall, scrubbing at his face, thoughts swirling madly in his head. He needed sleep. 

Kouta strolled towards home at a leisurely pace, replaying pieces of the day and night as he slowly ate the third tart.

So much lately, he'd been longing for transformation... and for better or worse, he was definitely not the same Kouta he'd been when he'd rolled out of bed this morning.

He also knew with inexplicable certainty that he would definitely never be that person again.

And he wasn't really sorry about it.

Pulling the pineapple lockseed out again, he twirled it around one finger, grinning to himself in an entirely pleased manner.

First thing tomorrow, he'd dig through his closet to find his Team Gaim hoodie...

But before that, _sleep_.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Takes place during Eps. 4 & 5

Every time Kouta closed his eyes, all he saw was the swirly surreal colors of the mysterious forest and the blackness at the edges of his vision as he choked on water. The memory of the fight was too sharp, the sensation of falling too recent... he hadn't slept a single bit, despite having been out all night.

Really, he hadn't moved from his position since he'd come home, curled into a paralyzed ball in the corner of his room beside the closet - not when Mai and Micchi had come by to check on him and not for any of the meals his sister had tried to lure him out of the room to eat. His awareness was dulled by his tension, so much so that he only half-registered when the door to his room slid open again, and he didn't look up.

“Kouta...” a soft voice said worriedly, sliding the door shut behind her before coming to sit down on the floor at his side. “Kouta... it's me, Mai...” She placed a tentative hand on his knee, not used to seeing him this upset. She'd hoped that getting rid of that belt might help, but he seemed even more lost than when she'd come by with Micchi earlier. “Kouta... it's gone now. You don't have to transform again. Ever. Not if you don't want to.”

Kouta flinched at the word 'transform', a slight shake of his head. It had been fun at first... transforming for the team, supporting them, protecting them... because he loved dancing, he loved being a Beat Rider. The Invess monsters were freaky, but... not like that other rider in the forest. “He... he tried to _kill_ me...”

“The white rider...?” Mai said softly, thinking of what he'd told them earlier. “He really tried to kill you? Not just... stop you?”

“Stop me from what?” Kouta snapped back, wincing at the pain in his ribs. Just breathing hurt right now. “I was asking for _help_. I was looking for _Yuuya_. I didn't _want_ to fight!”

Mai knew Kouta wouldn't pick a fight on purpose – he was always kind-hearted and trying to help people, and he would've talked it out if the other person had given him a chance. “...it must have been really scary,” Mai answered miserably, wishing there was something she could do to help.

“I don't know that we really understand what we've gotten ourselves into,” Kouta buried his face in his arm again. “I'm sorry... I know I'm usually the one cheering you up and telling you it'll all be okay, but...”

Same old Kouta, always worrying about everyone else's feelings even when he was the one in distress. “I'm... worried about Yuuya, and you, and Micchi, and everyone on the team...” she started, then tentatively slid an arm around his shoulders. “But you're not alone, Kouta. This isn't all _your_ responsibility.”

_Alone._ He shouldn't have been alone in that forest to begin with, but Kaito had bailed on him the moment the bikes had rolled to a stop. Turning into Mai, he buried his face against her shoulder, loosening his curled up stance enough to slide an arm around her in return. Kaito had a belt, Mai had seen the forest... but no one seemed to actually understand how he felt. “I'm sorry...”

“It's true, I've been angry at you – am angry at you – because you haven't been taking this seriously, because being Gaim has taken the focus away from our dancing, our team...” Mai started, but there was no real venom in her words. “...it's like all this stuff with the lock seeds - it's been a big game to you and the others...” Mai turned a little more until she could wrap her other arm around Kouta, dragging him into a hug. “But it doesn't mean I want you hurt or scared! Doesn't mean I don't like you, respect you, worry about you...”

“I'm sorry,” Kouta's voice broke as he apologized yet again. “You know I've been pressured to 'grow up', to be a 'real adult', to change... to give up my dreams, give up dancing, give up the team.” He couldn't bring himself to hug Mai back, so he just kept talking into her shoulder. “I thought this was a way to do both, to satisfy everyone... but my sister still thinks I'm childish, you hate me, I've let the team down again, and...” His words trailed off, knowing he couldn't share his actual next thought: that the one person who'd _seemed_ to understand his desires had called him _spineless_ and _coward_ and then abandoned him to... “...and almost got myself killed.”

_You may have power but you have no strength._

“Idiot...” Mai said softly, shaking him lightly by the shoulders. “Stop that. I don't hate you. Micchi doesn't hate you – we're still a team! You just have to accept that we can do stuff do too. It's been really brave of you to fight for us, but I...” Mai swallowed hard, her hands tightening on Kouta's shoulders, then immediately loosening when she felt him wince again. “I'm not going to quiver behind you for the rest of my life,” she added, more quietly.

“Heh, you're... way too _bossy_ for that,” Kouta breathed a soft laugh, buoyed by her words. Even if Kaito had turned out to be a jerk, the rest of Team Gaim still had his back. That was what it meant to be part of a team, right? Mai could still read him so well, and even if he was feeling vulnerable, he wasn't going to try and hide it from her.

“You and Micchi might be _stronger_ ,” she smiled a little in agreement,” But no one on the team is bossier than me.” Holding Kouta at arm's length, she eyed him up carefully. “You haven't been on the team for awhile, but... I still know how you move when you're injured.”

“...like messing up a new dance move...” he recalled.

“And falling flat on your face,” she teased more, relaxing a little as the Kouta she knew and cared for seemed to come back to the surface again. Her fingers skimmed lightly down his torso, searching for sore spots. “Did you break any ribs? Or anything else?”

“I... I don't think so,” he shrugged, then winced again. “Mostly bruised – suit took most of the damage for me.” _Or I'd probably be dead right now._ Trying to push those thoughts away, he mumbled under his breath. “...should probably ice a few places to cut the swelling.”

“Can you stand?” Mai asked, climbing to her feet and offering Kouta a hand. “Take off your shirt, sit on your bed? I'll even ask your sister for some ice...?”

“I... I didn't tell her anything about what really happened,” Kouta answered the unasked question, using both the wall and Mai's hand to push himself to his feet. “I don't want her to worry more than she already is and I don't even know how to explain what's going on.”

Mai nodded gently, as she understood Kouta's predicament. Who would believe either of them about the strange and mysterious forest on the other side of the zipper? “Get comfy, okay? I won't be long.”

Kouta shuffled slowly across his room, dropping down onto his bed with a sigh. Pulling his shirt over his head, he dropped it carelessly onto the floor. _Was it really not that long ago that I was messing around in here, trying out different henshin poses?_ It seemed like a different lifetime. Rolling carefully onto his back, he threw one arm across his eyes to wait for Mai's return. When he heard the door open and close again, he spoke up, “I'm really grateful that you came back to talk to me.”

Mai's lower lip caught between her teeth as she got a look at the bruises littering Kouta's chest, her heart aching a little to see just how badly he'd been wounded. She wanted to be angry and yell at him for getting into so much trouble, but she couldn't find it in herself to stay angry at him after seeing what he'd been through. “Kouta... that looks _terrible_.”

Kouta could hear in her voice that she now knew just bad his injuries were, but he said nothing, feeling her glare through his closed eyes as she knelt beside the bed. He tensed for a moment as the cold of the ice hit his skin, but Mai was gentle, and a moment later, he relaxed back into his pillow again. “...and thanks for looking after me.” There was no way he wanted his sister to look after him and treat him like a little kid.

“It's okay, I don't mind...” Mai sighed grumpily, but it was only because she was just that unsettled by the entire turn this Invess thing had taken. She held the ice pack in place with one hand, soaking a washcloth in a container of ice water at her feet with the other hand. This was, after all, not the first time in their history that she'd looked after Kouta's injuries.

Kouta was silent for a long moment, and then, without prompting, reached over with his other hand to touch Mai's arm. “I'm really glad you weren't there this time. I... I'm still kinda miffed that Kaito ditched me as soon as we got there.”

“Banana's a dick,” Mai groused immediately, thinking of Baron's leader's smug face. “I don't like him! And if he hadn't been picking a fight with you—”

“It wasn't his fault,” Kouta immediately defended him, glad his arm was still thrown over his face to hide most of his expression. It was... difficult to think about Kaito without replaying the night they'd spent together, or playing back the barrage of insults he'd suffered going into their fight.

Mai huffed in protest, surprised to hear Kouta defend him. “Yeah, well... he wouldn't try to kill you, I know we can trust him that much... and the people on some of the other teams might be jerks, but...”

“But they're not all bad,” Kouta finished her sentence, trying to smile but coming up with a grimace instead.

Mai was quiet for a moment, contemplating, and then she finally relented. “I like that he stopped his team from cheating. And I'm not gonna call him a friend, but... I'm aware there are much worse people out there.”

“Yeah...and I don't think he intended any harm...” Kouta realized as he thought about the events of the day that he didn't have any idea if Kaito had made it out of the forest with more or less trouble than he himself had. “We were both caught up in what happened, and I... I hope he's okay.”

“But I'm still mad he left you all alone!”

Kouta gnawed at his lip as Mai hit a deep nerve, but said nothing else. He was too afraid that if he continued talking about Kaito, he wouldn't stop, and this whole situation would end up that much more awkward.

“Washcloth...?” Mai asked softly, in effort to change the topic, moving Kouta's arm aside and placing her hand against his hot forehead when he didn't answer her.

A hint of Kouta's usual smile finally crept onto his face, his eyes fluttering open as he felt Mai's hand against his head, but it was a tired smile. “Yeah... Yeah, that'd be good... I feel a little funny... haven't really slept at all...”

Mai sighed again as she placed the cold cloth carefully over his forehead, but couldn't help smiling back at Kouta's smile, her eyes scanning his bare chest for other places she might need to ice for him. She could admit to herself that there were plenty of times she'd be _looking_ at Kouta if he was shirtless like this, but... today wasn't one of them. There was no room for... embarrassment... when her friend needed help.

Kouta caught the glimmer in Mai's eyes, but pretended not to notice. After all, there were plenty of times he'd tried to get her attention on purpose – plenty of times he and Micchi had playfully competed on the subject – but not now, not like this. He was simply grateful she was there and that he could trust her on this level. “Mai... stay a little while?”

“Tch...” Of course, Kouta had to go and be hopelessly adorable in a moment like this, making her aware all over again of how cute he'd become in the last few years. “What, like when we were younger?”

A little more light came into Kouta's eyes and he smiled again. “Like that.”

“Hnn, well...” Mai pretended to be torn as he removed the ice packs. “Move over, then.”

Kouta carefully shuffled himself over a little bit, tossing an arm out to the side as an invitation to curl up beside him... maybe even use his uninjured shoulder as a pillow.

Mai gave him an uncertain look, worried about injuring him further, but Kouta didn't seem like he was going to take 'no' as an answer. Slipping her shoes off, she sat down on the bed, very _very_ slowly stretching out beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.

“You being here... makes me feel calmer...” Kouta mumbled, his eyes drifting closed again. He sought out Mai's hand, intertwining their fingers. “So for a little while, can we just... pretend I hurt myself doing some dumb dance move...?”

“Sure...” Mai intoned softly. “Let's do that.” She watched as Kouta's breathing slowly evened out, reassured as he drifted off to sleep. She could get too used to this... having him around again, a part of the team again. It had been so hard when he'd left the first time. She hated having him in danger, but... she couldn't help but also be glad that he was back. 

“Forest...” Kouta mumbled suddenly, mostly asleep. “Shows up... in my dreams.”

“Mine too...” Mai answered softly, reaching with her other hand to smooth the hair back from his forehead. “But forget about that for now, Kouta. Sleep... I'll stay awhile.”

\---

This wasn't his concern.

Or at least, it shouldn't be.

Kazuraba Kouta had proved to be weak, and he had subsequently disappeared as the weak should.

Kaito fidgeted with his deck, shuffling, flipping, moving smoothly through card tricks while staring blankly out the window. Zack and Peco lingered about, but as usual dared not ask him questions. They'd learned that it was better to leave him to his thoughts.

He'd left Kouta in the forest because he'd become a secondary concern. Kaito still wanted to know, desperately, if Kouta was as strong as he suspected, if that was really what drew them together. The forest had simply taken a much higher priority, especially once Kouta had let slip that lock seeds were readily available. It was a resource center ripe for the picking.

Besides, Kaito had only challenged him because Kouta had had the nerve to ignore him, after all that. Kouta had paraded around for days as Armored Rider Gaim and hadn't even given Kaito the courtesy of a fight. He'd been insulted, which is why he'd headed straight for Drupers after Sid had given him the belt.

Kouta should have been able to find his way out of the forest easily - Kaito had been right about the vehicle lock seeds getting them out the same way they came in.

And yet, he hadn't resurfaced.

Had the Invess really gotten to him? The ones in the forest were more challenging than the normal Invess summoned in the games, definitely, but Kaito hadn't had much trouble with them. Certainly Kouta couldn't have had that much more.

...but if he had, it wouldn't matter, because that would mean he was weak, and that was how the world worked.

Cards scattered over the table as he fumbled the middle of a trick, Zack and Peco looking on, concerned. He slammed the rest of the deck down on the table, frustrated, and leaned back in his chair.

Maybe he was just leaving the Rider stuff to this Ryugen that had popped up to fight for Team Gaim. Except... Kouta didn't seem like the kind of person who would just step to the side like that, much the less disappear altogether. He was stronger than that.

That settled it. Kaito started gathering the cards again, slowly reshuffling them back into a proper deck. He'd go tomorrow and test out this new Ryugen character to see if he was worthy.

With any luck, he'd draw Kouta out of the woodwork, too.

He'd put the cards back in order, and everything would fall back into place.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Halfway through episode 6...

As if not challenging him had not been enough of an insult. 

As if disappearing hadn't been worse. 

Kaito would have accepted his defeat in a fair fight. Ryugen hadn't been even remotely powerful enough, but when Kouta had joined the fight... Kaito hadn't, in all his testing, thought to change lock seeds. _Genius._  

He would have accepted it, right there. Having Kouta defeat him.

But then Hase and Jounouchi stepped into the fray... 

And betrayed him, completely. 

And Kouta had saved him, _again_. Even dragged his little friend into it, this time. 

He'd sent everyone home early. Zack and Peco had lingered, fussing over him, but there was only so much they could do. 

Kaito was a ball of furious energy, now. He hadn't wanted to take it out on any of his team members, but perhaps he should have. He paced the room, shuffling cards distractedly, thoughts a whirlwind of _Kouta, Kouta, Kouta._  

It was going to be a long night. 

\---

“Aaaaah, mou.....” Kouta whined to himself as he slurped down some of his orange slushie, stirring the end of it around with his straw as he kicked one toe lightly against the counter at Druper's. 

He'd been sitting here for hours, straight through dinner and sunset and right into almost-closing time, but even his favorite drink and his favorite thinking-spot weren't helping him unravel the frustration this afternoon's fight had left within him. The team was happy with their win, things were chill with Micchi, who'd come out of the scrape unscathed, thankfully, and... he was even feeling okay about his decision to put the belt back on, as long as he didn't think about the forest. 

Which left only one thing to stew about, around and around in an unsolvable circle. 

 _Why did I defend him anyway?_  

In the moment, he had moved without thinking, really, blocking Kurokage's blow from striking Baron down permanently. But... it certainly wasn't because he felt any goodwill towards Kaito at the moment. After all of the insults, the jerk had abandoned him in that forest and then shown up out of nowhere, not even to claim a stage, but simply to try and kick Micchi's ass with a clearly outnumbered advantage. Kouta felt he had every right to be completely pissed off. 

At the same time, he'd seen the pain on Kaito's face once he'd de-transformed, and for all the angry words he'd spewed, that kind of betrayal by an ally _had_ to sting. Kurokage's literal stab in the back... it wasn't fair or right... it was just cowardly and deceptive. 

“You need one more for the road, Kouta?” 

Kouta looked up from his empty glass with a startled expression, realizing he was the last one here and shook his head with a smile. “Thanks anyway, though,” he paid the tab quickly so as not to hold up the shop closing any longer and then meandered out into the streets of Zawame City. 

Apparently his subconscious was driving him today, though, as he found himself re-treading a path he'd last taken at an even more ungodly hour than this, a week or so ago...until he was finally standing outside the door to Baron's base. It sounded quiet, but the lights in the main room were still on despite the late hour. 

Kouta wasn't even sure whether he was here to check up on Kaito after that ugly crash into the fence or to give him a piece of his mind for being a jerk. ...Maybe both. 

 _I don't want to hear anymore of your idealistic foolishness._  

Shaking his head fiercely as Kaito's comment came flashing back at him, Kouta growled at himself a little, trying to steel his heart. _No. No. No!_  

 _No_ , it was definitely because Kaito was an enormous ass and Kouta was going to tell him to stay the hell away from Micchi and Mai and the rest of his team. 

That was definitely why he was here. 

Lifting one fist, Kouta banged on the door, slowly at first… but then quickly increasing in volume and tempo. 

Kaito froze at the sound of the knock.

_Who the hell could that be?_

As the knocks became frantic, he snarled, tossing his cards in a messy pile on one of the tables, stalking over to the door and swinging it open.

The next knock almost hit him in the face but he stepped back, the fist landing on his chest instead.

_Kouta._

"What are you doing here," he murmured coldly, trying to hide his undercurrent of seething rage.

Kouta's hand slid down the front of Kaito's chest as he stumbled forward a step, his words jumbling almost instantly. "I'm here…" he started, catching himself and turning a frustrated glare on Kaito, a little more sincerely mad in response to the cold greeting. "Because you…"

Pushing his way past the other and into the main room before turning to face him, Kouta's hands moved to his hips as he continued. "I'm here to find out… just what the hell your _problem_ is!"

Kaito stayed at the door, knuckles turning white around the knob. He whirled around, slamming the door behind him, moving right into Kouta's space. " _My_ problem?" He sneered, pushing lightly at Kouta's shoulders. "Did you really come to lecture me about the way the world works again?"

"Maybe about how the _game_ works!" Kouta snapped back, swatting roughly at one of Kaito's hands to dislodge it. He didn't need any more lectures on how idealistic or foolish his ideas were. "You see, I thought it was about our _teams –_ about _dancing_ and owning _stages_ …" Thinking about easily Micchi could have gotten hurt if he hadn't shown up when he had only incited Kouta further. "Not randomly showing up to another team's base to _bully_ someone into an unfair fight!"

"It _is_!" Kaito grabbed Kouta's collar this time, pushing him up against the nearest wall. "It _is_ about teams and stages! It's about how you didn't deem me a worthy opponent. It's about how you abandoned your power until I _made_ you take it back. It's about how you _refuse to step up_!"

Kouta's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he was backpedaled, one hand rising to grip Kaito's wrist defensively. "Not a worthy opponent? What are you talking about?!" Ignoring the comment about taking his belt back, not wanting to think about what had happened in the forest, he focused on his original argument instead. "Refuse to step up? Did you see me try to take _anyone_ 's stage that week?" he argued, his eyes fixed on Kaito's, suddenly wondering if he'd somehow insulted him without meaning to…

After the night he'd half-spent here, Kouta hadn't… called or anything, but then, neither had Kaito. What the hell was he supposed to think? "I was just trying to protect my team, protect what we have, so they can dance together and be _happy_. That's all I want!"

Kaito huffed, letting him go, just barely moving away. "That's exactly why you've been so aggravating." He realized that Kouta hadn't meant most of it - he just wasn't in tune with how the world worked, yet. But it was entirely too frustrating, and Kaito didn't have any patience to explain it to him again. "You don't _use_ your strength. For _anything_! Protecting your team... how laughable. Where were you when they needed you, then? Why did I end up challenging _Ryugen_ instead of _you_?"

The words hit harder than any physical punch could have, because Kouta knew exactly where he'd been while Micchi had been center stage.

Hiding.

Terrified.

Shattered.

All the color drained from Kouta's face as the memories of the white rider flashed across his mind's eye, but he didn't want to tell Kaito that he'd planned to give up the belt permanently until today's events. His voice came out softer than he wanted to as he found a half-truth as an answer, "I was… recovering from having the shit kicked out of me."

Kaito's fury paused as his worry rose up again. Something was wrong. But... Kouta was stronger than anyone he knew, and the forest hadn't been nearly as dangerous as he let on. There was only one explanation.

"Are you _lying_ to me?!" Kaito growled, grabbing Kouta's collar again, slamming him back against the wall.

Kouta's temper snapped at the accusation and his hands rose swiftly, trying to shove Kaito away from him as he growled back angrily. "I'm not a _liar_! And if you hadn't been a jerk and left me alone in that terrible forest, then you would _know_ that I'm not a liar! And if you hadn't shown up at Drupers just to _insult_ me, we would never have even _been_ there in the first place!"

 _There_ was the power and the force that Kaito had sensed. "I left you alone because I _knew you could handle yourself_! Because my _challenge_ had become irrelevant in the face of new information! And I only had to challenge you because you never _bothered_ to challenge me!"

But Kouta _hadn't_ been able to handle it himself, and the events in the forest were haunting him still.

"Is that all you care about?!" he yelled back, shoving once again with a lot more force behind it this time, sending Kaito back a few steps . This hardly felt like the same person he'd shared such an intimate time with not that long ago, who he had thought perhaps understood him, and he tried to shove the unwanted memories back down into the burning feeling in his gut. There was nothing understanding or gentle about the way Kaito was acting tonight.

"You just want a _challenge_?! You just want a _fight_?! _Fine_! I'll give you a _fight_!" Rearing back with an anguished sound, he let one fist fly straight at Kaito's face.

The emotion, the anger, the _strength_ in him sent a thrill down Kaito's spine. He dodged the punch easily, grabbing Kouta's arm and wrenching it up behind his back, shoving him face-first back into the wall and pinning him there. "You have _power_ , Kouta." His voice was low, now, smooth and dangerous. "Why do you so continually insist on squandering it?"

Struggling against the tight hold reflexively, Kouta couldn't help but fire back at the weakest point he could find. "Was I _squandering_ it when I saved your ass – _again_ \- this afternoon?" He knew it was a low blow after having his alliance stab him in the back, but he really beginning to think that Kaito didn't even understand the definition of _comrade_ or _friend_.

Kaito ground his teeth, unable to answer. On one hand, it was - those that reach for power but can't obtain it deserve to be struck down. On the other... Kaito _was_ grateful. He still had a chance to prove himself, and that was because of Kouta. "...is that why you're really here?" Kaito pressed himself to Kouta's back, still holding his arm tight. "To have me _thank_ you?"

"…eh?" In all the circles he'd traced that afternoon in his own head, that particular loop of thought had never once come up. Why would he want Kaito to thank him? Protecting him had simply been the right thing to do, given the situation. "I…" he started, anger deflating a little bit. "… wanted to make sure you were okay after what happened this afternoon."  _Like you should have done for me when I didn't turn up after our stint in the forest._ "It's… not like you saw that coming."

Kaito felt Kouta deflate, only making his own grip tighter, growling. "And you think that excuses it?" _My weakness?_ Kaito leaned forward, biting the nearest available patch of skin along Kouta's neck, _hard_. He needed control, and power, and to burn off this excess energy that was crawling in his skin, and this seemed to be a perfect opportunity.

Kouta gasped sharply in surprise at the bite, jerking hard under Kaito's hands at the sudden pain. At the same time, heat blossomed in his cheeks, flooded his chest and quickly traveled downwards, much to his chagrin. "E-excuses it?" he stammered back, his words completely failing him as he suddenly realized just how much of Kaito's body was pressed up against his back. His response was as automatic as his body's reaction, betraying his truth yet again. "What's wrong with being concerned about a friend?"

Kaito felt the rush of heat run through Kouta, doubling his own as he licked over the mark he'd just made. "Is that what we are, Kouta?" He tugged Kouta's arm another inch up, feeling his muscles strain, his free hand sliding up Kouta's shirt and scratching lines down his chest. " _Friends_?" There was nothing he wanted more, but Kouta was - an adversary, a challenge, a _rival_. He couldn't be that _and_ a friend, but if he wasn't that he wasn't _Kouta_.

Wincing as Kaito pulled his arm tighter, Kouta wasn't sure whether he ought to confirm his previous remark or rescind it based on this treatment. "We might be on different teams…" he started, but the words trailed off as Kaito's hand slipped under his shirt. He gasped in pleasure instead, finally attacking what they'd been dancing around all night, voice soft and low. "Unless you think... we're _more_ than that," he let the implication be evident in his tone. It was true, after all - whether or not Kaito considered him a friend or a foe, an ally or a rival… they were, inescapably after that night, lovers.

 _Lovers, he means._ Well, he supposed they were, technically. Kaito briefly considered saying that rivals _were_ more than friends, but that was too convoluted for him to care about explaining right now.

Instead, he barked out a laugh. "What's that saying? Keep your friends close, keep your rivals..." His voice dropped to a whisper, hand continuing its slide down to palm over Kouta's crotch. "... _closer_."

Kouta's hips twitched automatically into Kaito's hand, but the words sat ill with him. Using the arm that was still free of his grip, he elbowed Kaito as hard as he could in the ribs, twisting as Kaito let go of his hand. Breathing hard, stance defensive, he glared at Kaito, trying not to let the wounded, confused feelings in his heart show in his eyes. "I think the line is actually _enemies_ , and if that's what you really think…"

Kaito clutched at his ribs, taking a moment to get his breath back. His voice was low, growling again. "I only have one enemy. And you're _not_ them." He spoke the truth, as always. " _You,_ " he started, stepping back into Kouta's space. "Kazuraba Kouta, are my one and only worthy rival."

 _One and only…_ Their eyes locked and Kouta blinked with sudden understanding… that, for whatever reason, he was the one that Kaito had chosen to acknowledge. _One and only…_ And maybe he couldn't define all that it meant, but… it meant _something_.

And it didn't mean enemies.

"You're not my enemy either," Kouta breathed, fisting a hand in Kaito's shirt and vest and shaking him once for emphasis, his heart hammering faster than ever now that they were face to face again. "…that's why I struck them down today for… for being _duplicitous_ cowards. That's why… I'm here right now…" _That's why I put the belt back on._ He didn't know what he was saying anymore, or why he was saying it, but the words tumbled out anyway. "Because…I…I…" _Respect you._

Kaito let Kouta ramble for as long as he could stand before finally, _finally_ kissing him, rough and messy and full of every emotion he had and every word he couldn't say. There were some things that were just better communicated through the physical, and there'd been enough talking.

Kouta should have been expecting it, but he wasn't, and he stumbled a step, back hitting the wall again with a heavy thunk. Instinct and desire took over, though, and he kissed Kaito back with the same reckless abandon, lips and tongue and teeth, one hand still fisted in his clothes, the other rising to bury in his hair.

Kaito only pushed harder, devouring Kouta's mouth, sliding his hands back up Kouta's shirt, scratching lines into his hips before scrambling at his fly.

This was happening a lot faster than last time - way too fast for Kouta to really have time to think about _why_ it was happening. He was far too caught up in _what_ was happening, in the heat of their kiss, and he didn't try to stop Kaito's actions. Instead, he let go of Kaito's hair, and wedged his other hand between them too, attacking the buttons on Kaito's clothing - first, the shirt, then the vest, because it was _in the way, damnit -_ far less clumsy than their first encounter. His hands finally hit warm skin, spreading over Kaito's ribs.

Kaito shoved Kouta's pants out of the way as soon as physically possible, jerking him roughly while he bit at his lips. Kouta certainly had the right idea, though - _less clothes_. He unzipped that obnoxious hoodie and shoved Kouta's shirt up and mostly out of the way, pulling at one of his nipples, finally breaking their kiss to bite down the side of his neck instead.

Kouta could not help the soft moan that slipped out when Kaito let go of their kiss to bite his neck instead, hips thrusting forward to seek more friction. Dragging one hand further up Kaito's chest, Kouta scraped his nails over a nipple as he pushed the shirt from Kaito's shoulders. His other hand slid down instead, fingertips dipping into the waistband of his pants before heading for the zipper. If _this_ was where their fighting was headed, he wasn't going to complain.

Kaito focused his efforts on devouring Kouta's neck, biting and sucking and leaving a variety of interesting marks, determined to hear more of those noises and leave Kouta thinking about him for days. It was difficult to remove himself from Kouta's cock pulsing in his hand, but he summarily discarded his shirt, pushing fingers into Kouta's mouth, fire still coursing through him. Kaito needed, wanted, _desired_ Kouta in a way that he didn't even want to find words for. Their bodies always communicated what they couldn't, whether they were fighting or fucking, and it was _perfect_.

Kouta hummed with satisfied success as he finally wrapped his hand around Kaito's cock, pulling it free of his pants. The warm weight felt so good in his hand as he stroked hard, but with Kaito's fingers jammed into his mouth, all he could think about was how much better it would feel somewhere else. It drove him a little bit crazy, the way Kaito could always _get_ to him… It didn't matter whether he was insulting Kouta, fighting with him or seducing him, his _rival_ always managed to dig into him in a way no one else ever had. In a way that made him stew at Drupers for 5 hours straight. In a way that made him put that godforsaken belt back on again. In a way that made him _want_ so desperately that he didn't know what to do with it.

Or… maybe this was _exactly_ what he wanted to do with those feelings.

Kaito rocked against Kouta's hand, groaning, shoving his fingers that much deeper before pulling away slightly. The loss of contact was unfortunate but necessary, Kaito tugging at Kouta's shirt. "Get rid of this," he growled, dropping to his knees to wrestle Kouta's shoes and pants off.

Kouta leaned his bare ass against the wall for leverage, shrugging off his hoodie and pulling his shirt over his head as he lifted one foot, then the other, and allowed Kaito to divest him of the rest of his clothing. His heart was hammering as he looked down at Kaito, tossing his clothes on the pile they'd started with his red shirt.

Kaito locked eyes with Kouta as he bit hard into his hip, scratching down his ribs. He hooked one of Kouta's legs over one arm as he stood back up, spreading him enough to slide a hand between his legs. "Breathe," Kaito reminded him, working a finger into him, tongue running down along his collarbone.

The position was different, but the sensation was the same as before, and Kouta was more than willing to endure it this time around when he knew what would be coming afterwards. One hand spread out on the wall beside him and the other landed on Kaito's shoulder for balance. He rocked his hips onto Kaito's finger with a soft grunt, eyes fluttering shut as he focused on Kaito's wet tongue and hot breath along his collarbone.

Another white-hot wave surged through him at the feel of Kouta around him, Kaito digging teeth into skin again to keep himself from moaning. He opened Kouta up far less gently than last time, shoving his fingers deep, distracting Kouta with another line of bites along his shoulder.

Pain and pleasure blurred as Kaito both bit and penetrated him, and Kouta moaned in response, the leg he was standing on wobbling slightly from the strain. His fingers dug hard into Kaito's shoulder, probably leaving bruises, but he didn't really care. At least they wouldn't show, unlike his own - he was going to have a hell of a time hiding the marks on his neck from the rest of the team's view tomorrow.

Impatient, Kaito finally slid his fingers out of Kouta, hissing as he slicked himself up. "Hold on." He hefted Kouta entirely off the ground, hands underneath his legs, balancing him against the wall as Kaito positioned himself. Slowly, he pushed forward, letting out a long breath as Kouta's heat surrounded him.

Both of his hands moved to Kaito's shoulders, legs wrapping around his rival's hips as Kouta sank slowly down with a visible shudder and an open-mouthed gasp. "Kaito…" he choked out, eyes half-lidded and dark with arousal as his body adjusted to the feeling of Kaito's hot, hard cock inside him.

Kaito only gave them both a moment before rolling his hips, making himself gasp as well. " _Kouta_ ," he ground out, quickly building up a deep, driving rhythm, mercilessly rocking Kouta against the wall.

It was _deep_ in this position, deeper than it had felt the last time, and every single roll of Kaito's hips sent waves of pleasure spiraling through Kouta. "Aah! Aah! _Aaah!"_ His head knocked against the wall with their every movement, but he didn't give a damn, panting for breath in between the falsetto moans being ripped out of him by their frantic pace.

Every sound he dragged out of Kouta, the sight of him so shamelessly spread open so quickly after being _so_ closed off, the feel of him tight and hot and wet and altogether just so obviously _enjoying it_ was sending Kaito barreling towards climax. His moans mingled with Kouta's, hands digging bruises into Kouta's legs, pace only increasing as pleasure pooled in his gut.

Kouta could tell from the sounds Kaito was making, from the intensity of of his movements, that he wanted this every bit as much as Kouta did, and that made it all too easy to completely give in to pleasure. He could second-guess his confusing actions and their respective reasonings tomorrow when he wasn't on the brink of coming harder than he ever had in his life. One hand slipped from Kaito's shoulder, wrapping around his aching cock, jerking himself furiously in time to Kaito's pounding as his vision started to blur and blacken around the edges.

Kaito shuddered, watching Kouta's hand slide over his own dick, the sight of his blissed-out face pushing Kaito over the edge. His hips kept pumping, knuckles white where his fingers were digging bruises into Kouta's thighs, croaking out half a name before his voice cut out completely.

Stars exploded behind Kouta's squeezed shut eyes as he heard Kaito's voice give out, and he tumbled into oblivion with him. Spilling over his hand with a choked-up gasp of Kaito's name in return, Kouta risked throwing off their balance to lean down and catch Kaito's lips with his own.

Kaito pressed Kouta hard into the wall to keep their balance, surging up against his kiss with the last flare of passion. He slowly, slowly came down off the high, panting against Kouta's lips, body just beginning to protest their position.

Nearly boneless at this point, Kouta's arms draped around Kaito's shoulders, eyes still closed and brain firmly stuck on the no-thinking-allowed-yet track. His body might regret this tomorrow, but right now, all he felt was completely satiated, his earlier anger and frustration completely drained away.

Kaito moved slowly, unsheathing himself in a long pull, gently letting Kouta back onto the ground but still supporting him. He didn't move more than necessary yet, still basking in the lingering heat and pleasure.

Kouta sagged against the wall a little as his body protested, finally letting his eyes blink open again. Oh, yeah… he was _definitely_ going to feel this tomorrow. Now that the moment of passion had dissipated, the slightest bit of awkward crept up on him as he really had no idea what to say. Hadn't he originally come over here to tell Kaito how pissed off he was at him?

Kaito shifted back once Kouta seemed steadier, stretching out a couple of muscles that were bound to be sore for a while, buttoning his pants back up. Kouta looked positively wrecked, and Kaito couldn't help but feel the slightest bit smug.

"Towel?" he offered, picking up his shirt and draping it around his shoulders again.

"Yeah… okay…" Kouta mumbled softly, mostly in hopes of gaining a moment to collect himself… and put his clothes back on.

Kaito picked up his vest to drape it over a chair as he disappeared around the corner, digging a dishtowel out of a drawer in the kitchen. He certainly hadn't been expecting his night to go like this, he mused.

The moment Kaito was out of sight, Kouta whipped his shirt off the floor, then his hoodie, leaving his pants for last because… well, because he really did kinda need that towel. He wasn't exactly embarrassed about what they'd done, but Kouta didn't want this to end up with another giant bout of silence and/or another fight in a week. But what was he supposed to say, though? 'Hey, call me, we should hang out sometime?' That sounded… ridiculous. He sighed and knocked his head back against the wall in frustration. How had he gotten himself into this situation again…?

Kaito tossed the towel at Kouta as soon as he rounded the corner again, busying himself with re-buttoning his shirt. The silence stretched between them, Kouta obviously uncomfortable, and once again Kaito felt inclined to say something.

"...stay in touch." Communication, it seemed, was their major problem. They may be rivals, but as they'd previously discussed, they _weren't_ enemies. There was no reason for them to not talk. Occasionally.

Catching the towel, Kouta used it to clean himself up a little, then nearly tripped over his own feet pulling his pants back on as Kaito spoke. It was not what he would have expected him to say after how they'd fought earlier, but he couldn't help but smile a little as he zipped his pants and straightened up. Maybe they really were getting to be friends. "…I'll give you my number," he said after a beat of hesitation, reaching down to pull his sneakers on too. "Where's your phone?"

Kaito's brow furrowed, hands pausing on his last button. Kink in that plan, it seemed. "...upstairs. If you wait, I'll..."

That _wasn't_ a no… Not wanting to give him a chance to change his mind, Kouta scanned the room quickly for something he could write on, pulling a pen from his pocket. Oh, was that paper on the table? Playing cards? Taking a few steps towards them, he grinned over his shoulder at Kaito. "Can't I just write it on one of these…?"

Kaito's eyes widened, crossing the room quickly to grab Kouta's wrist. "No!" He relaxed a bit now that the immediate danger was gone, letting out a short sigh. "...no. Not on the cards."

The look on Kaito's face was comical and unusual compared to his usual stern expressions and Kouta couldn't help a soft snicker in response. Twisting his wrist in Kaito's grasp until he was the one holding the back of Kaito's hand, he scrawled his number across his rival's palm instead. "Don't lose it before you put it in your phone, okay?"

Kaito blinked, watching Kouta blankly, hand tingling from the touch of the pen. That was certainly an interesting alternative. He'd forgotten how naturally creative Kouta was. "...I don't think I'll be losing my hand anytime soon." And he'd be entering the number into his phone as soon as possible. This wasn't something he intended to discard.

"I would hope not," Kouta teased him a little, then held out his own hand, eyes wide and a touch hopeful. "If you wanna write it, though honestly, my phone's in my pocket." His heart hammered more nervously than it had during all of their previous activities. Somehow, the physicality between them was easy, but this? Talking? _Flirting_? It felt like putting himself out there in a totally different way than fucking, which was….just… absurd.

Kaito raised a brow. He could, he supposed, but that wasn't really any fun. "I'll just text you." Kouta's hopeful face was rather adorable, but Kaito still preferred the fiesty side to him more, after all.

Kouta wanted to make him _promise_ , but… how could he ever expect any trust if he didn't give any? Kaito was… confusing and difficult at the best of times, and maybe if he left it up to him, he _would_ call instead of just picking another fight? He was the one who'd said to keep in touch, after all. "Okay…" he shrugged, turning to head for the door. "I gotta go - I have a job interview tomorrow…"

Kaito nodded, waving casually. "...good luck." He sank into one of the chairs around the table, fatigue finally setting in.

"Thanks! I hope it works out - I do really love cake!" Kouta waved back, a lot less tension in his movements than when he'd arrived, and pulled the door shut behind him.

Kaito let himself smile as Kouta bounced out the door, slowly gathering his cards and getting them back into a usable order. He couldn't deny that it felt good being back on better terms with his rival. _Better than before_ , he thought, glancing down as Kouta's number flashed in and out of sight between cards. He wasn't sure what this odd relationship of theirs was leading to, but he was willing to ride it out. For now, he was simply pleased to have someone who would truly challenge him, on the battlefield _and_ in the bedroom. Or the hallway, as it were.

He disappeared up the stairs before long, leaving behind a perfectly neat stack of cards.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beginning of Episode 7...

Damn, but it had been a shitty day so far... and that was after yesterday had been pretty bad too.

Kouta stomped away from the awful scene at the river, absolutely fuming over his public squabble with Bravo.

_Bravo._

What kind of a stupid name was that anyway?

His feet carried him automatically towards his thinking spot, knowing he was in too piss poor of a mood to continue the job hunt for today. On top of this latest bullshit with the Flamboyant Pastry chef, he was  _also_ in a bad mood because it had already been two days.

Two days and no message from Kaito, leaving him feeling insecure and awkward and weird about it all over again.

It was the worst.

It called for parfait.

Almost throwing himself onto his favorite stool, Kouta whipped his phone out of his pocket to check it again, but sure enough, the screen still stared blankly back at him – no new messages.

“Hey! Kouta!”

A familiar voice dragged him out of his internal stewing and he looked up from his phone screen to see Micchi coming in the door to Druper's, waving at him with a smile.

“Oh, Micchi!” Kouta hastily flipped his phone over on the counter as he gave the younger boy a weak smile and gestured for him to come sit down.

“I went by the base after school finished, but no one was there, so...” Micchi shrugged, sliding onto the stool next to his friend.

“Ah, yeah... I think Mai and the girls were planning to go shopping for new hair things or something this afternoon,” Kouta scratched at the back of his head, as he'd only half-listened to Mai's explanation at the time. Sometimes he let Mai drag him shopping, but usually only when it was just the two of them, and certainly not when... “But they were planning to go for cake too, and I just... ugh.”

Micchi gave Kouta a skeptical look as he opened the menu, debating about what to order if they were going to hang out here for awhile. “You don't usually say no to sweets, Kouta...” he asked in a leading way, and when Kouta only grumbled softly in response, he pressed further. “...why do you look so glum today?”

“Well... that job interview I had yesterday was kind of a disaster...” Kouta started, finding himself quickly relaying the details of his not-really-an-interview with the head patissier of Charmont to his best friend. “I mean, he ran me out the door because I was an _Aquarius_?! Who _does_ something like that?!”

“You two ready to order yet?” Bandou interrupted Kouta's ranting as he passed by with another group's parfaits on a tray.

“Oops, no! Sorry! I'll...” Kouta flipped open the menu - despite the fact that he knew it by heart - as he asked Micchi, “What are you ordering?”

“Something bright and sweet, maybe tart?” Micchi answered, knowing it was vague, and continued to study Kouta's face as the other rider mumbled to himself over the menu. It was clear that there was more bothering him than just another terrible job interview, but chances were that he could get Kouta to spill some more details with a little prodding. “How about you?”

“Mmm, definitely something with strawberries~” Kouta nearly sang his answer, cheered up a little just scanning over his favorite parfaits. “But do I want oranges...? Kinda tart...” Lost in contemplation, when he felt his phone buzz, he scooped it up automatically, flipping it over to see who the message was from as he mumbled some more. “...definitely one with a lot of whipped cream too...”

[  _How are those marks doing?_ ]

It was a good thing Kouta wasn't actually eating yet, or he might have choked on his parfait, and as it was, it took some effort to not let all of his emotions show on his face.  _Some ridiculous timing he has._

“Well, whipped cream is a given...” Micchi agreed with Kouta, further amused as he watched him react to his phone with a bit of a blush and a squirm. “Is that Mai?” he asked lightly, trying not to feel jealous about the girl they both called their best friend as he watched Kouta quickly type back.

{  _...can *feel* them better than anyone can *see* them._ }

“Nah, just a... friend.” Bandou saved him temporarily from having to say anything further as he returned to grab their orders and Kouta grinned as he delivered his verdict. “I'd like to get the strawberry-kiwi with extra whipped cream and, instead of the crunch flakes layer, can you put a bit of cake in it? And a little bit of the chocolate sauce on top?”

Micchi gaped a little, chuckling at his friend's  _extremely_ detailed order as he closed the menu. “Um, just the muscat parfait for me, thanks.”

“Whaaaaat?” Kouta flushed a little harder at Micchi's reaction. “Can't help it if I know what I like! I come here almost every afternoon, so... I guess my order's... particular?”

“There's nothing wrong with that,” Micchi said with a smile, leaning one arm on the counter as he turned to face Kouta a little better. “I guess my tastes are a bit more simple, that's all.”

“Well, do you think it's possible to be a simple person... with complicated tastes?” Kouta asked, glad that his blush over Micchi's reaction was also a good cover for his blush over Kaito's next response. It wasn't just the _marks_ that Kouta could still feel two days later, after all... some of his squirming was due to other places still being... a little sore.

[ _Hope they're reminding you of other *feelings* then_ ]

“I don't see why not,” Micchi smiled, leaning a little closer as he watched Kouta type furiously back to the mysterious “friend”, still wondering if it was actually Mai... or maybe some other potential girlfriend? It was rare for someone to get _that_ kind of a reaction out of his easygoing friend, after all. “...just as possible to be a complicated person with simple tastes, I'd guess.”

{ _of time well spent, at least *^_^*_ }

Kouta looked up from his phone with a smile, wondering if Micchi was trying to imply something with that commentary, but even if he was, Kouta had no idea what deeper meaning he could be hinting at and didn't really feel the need to ask. If Micchi was more complicated than he seemed, surely he'd eventually open up to his best friend about it, right? “Sometimes I order the same thing for a week straight, actually...” he started, calmed by Micchi's answer all the same, “And sometimes it'll be something new every day! Totally depends on my mood.”

Micchi still wasn't sure what was up with Kouta's scattered fidgety behavior today, but finally seeing that _smile_ made him feel better. “I think I've got my favorites, and I just sort of switch between them...don't like to try something new all that often, I'd rather stick with what I know I like.”

[ _Time well spent indeed._ ]

Perhaps a little giddy over his improving day – both Kaito's messages and impending parfait with his best friend – Kouta continued animatedly, ticking his choices off on his fingers one by one as he tried not to freak out visibly. “Strawberry-kiwi, strawberry-banana, strawberry-chocolate, strawberry-orange-banana, strawberry-pineapple-orange…”

[ _We should plan to spend our time well again._ ]

“Though perhaps I'm giving the truth of my taste away with that list…” Kouta's voice trailed off as he caught the second half of Kaito's response and he stuttered through the end of his sentence. “A-always with... extra whipped cream~!”

{ _Is that an invitation?_ }

“Speaking of taste,” Micchi commented, casually bringing the conversation back around to where they'd started, “...you asked for cake only a moment after telling me 'cake....ugh?' His tone was playful as he reached out to poke Kouta in the shoulder with one finger, still dying with curiosity over who he was texting but not rude enough to ask again. Yet.

“This cake isn't _that_ cake,” Kouta complained, face immediately falling into a pout again. “The Charmont cake... ugh, I didn't actually get to finish explaining, but... that cake guy? Turns out he's an Armored Rider too. I caught him beating up on Hase and Jonouchi for shits and giggles.”

Micchi's eyebrows furrowed in immediate confusion and concern. “But he's not even a Beat Rider! How did he end up with a belt? Why would he...?”

“Beats me,” Kouta grumbled in disgust with a shrug. “But the guy's a total jerk and a bully, so I doubt it's the last we'll see of him.”

“That's worrisome,” Micchi sighed, already making a mental note to do a search on the patissier later that night to see what he could learn about him. He didn't know how Kouta always managed to land himself in the middle of everything, but more information would always help keep the team safer.

“Whatever,” Kouta shrugged off his annoyance as Bandou returned with their parfaits, his eyes lighting up in unabashed delight. Snatching up his spoon, he brandished it like a weapon, threatening, “If he comes after our team, I'll just... take him down!”

“You mean _we_ , don't you?” Micchi chided him in response, clinking his spoon against Kouta's with a smile before starting to eat his parfait.

“Right, right – _we_ ,” Kouta corrected himself, his cheeks coloring again. He still hadn't quite gotten used to the fact that Micchi was an Armored Rider too, but realizing he wasn't alone against that awful Bravo definitely helped ease his mood even further. “We'll protect the team together, definitely!” He dug into his parfait for an enormous spoonful of whipped cream, his eyes flickering over to his phone, which he'd laid on the opposite side of himself, hopefully out of Micchi's visible range.

[  _My door is always available, though I can't guarantee it's always open._ ]

Micchi eyed Kouta's phone as it lit up again, and he was glad he couldn't read it from the angle he was sitting at – it would have been too much temptation with Kouta's reactions. This time, though, Kouta didn't actually answer, but kept furiously eating his parfait as if he hadn't even noticed the incoming message. Still, if it really was Mai, he was bound to find out about it sooner or later... the team wasn't very good at keeping secrets and Micchi tended to pick up on the tiniest details anyway.

[ _So yes._ ]

Kouta's mind and heart raced as scarfed down his parfait in record time, barely able to savor the taste of the strawberries as he debated with himself about whether to respond, and about whether or not, or rather, _when_ , he ought to stop by Kaito's place again. Tonight was definitely too soon, too eager... after Kaito had kept him waiting for two days, he couldn't help but want to be just as stubborn in return.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the end of episode 7.
> 
> Also, a happy birthday to both Yutaka (3/19) and Gaku (4/2)!
> 
> We very much appreciate the kudos and kind responses we've gotten. <3

Lost.

Lost, lost, lost.

Lost to Bravo. Lost his dignity. Lost the use of his arm.

Lost to Gaim. Lost his place. Lost to _Kouta_.

He'd scared off his team as soon as he could, now sitting alone in a dark base. He'd tried to bandage himself up, but only managed halfway before he was too angry to function. He couldn't even go to the forest and train, due to his injuries.

So it was darkness and angry thoughts buzzing in his head as he lay on his bed, useless for the night.

{  _Hey…you still awake…?_ }

His phone blinked from the nightstand, the light irritating him enough after a moment to pick it up.

_Kouta...?_ Odd. Shouldn't he be off celebrating his grand victory?

[  _I'm not going to come party with you._ ]

The light went off again faster than he expected.

{  _Umm… actually, I kinda bailed on the party pretty fast_ }

[ _Not going to celebrate your fantastic victory?_ ] He hoped Kouta was smart enough to see the sarcasm in those words.

Kaito didn't actually care, though. [  _What do you want?_ ]

{  _Not with a cake from Charmont. =P_ }

Kouta's next text came in almost as he sent his second.

That was Bravo's shop, wasn't it? Well, Kaito couldn't argue with that. Even thinking about eating something that asshole had touched made him angry.

It was the other question he wanted a response to, however, and it took an inordinately long amount of time before the phone blinked again.

{ … _I'm at your front door?_ }

Kaito blinked, processing that information. He didn't want to see _anyone_ right now, much less _Kouta_. So he wouldn't.

[  _Go away._ ]

{  _…I thought you said your door was always available?_ }

Blinking. Ignored.

{  _Come on, I walked all the way over here… don't make me, like, start throwing Lock Seeds at your window or something._ }

Blinking. Ignored.

{ … _I'm not leaving._ }

Blinking.

Kaito growled, snatching up his phone again, angrily reading Kouta's messages.

_Fine. Fine!_ He'd oblige whatever stupid purpose Kouta was here for, if only so he would leave him alone.

Kaito slowly shifted out of bed, pulling on a shirt and only half-buttoning it before getting too angry at his shaking hands to finish. He shuffled down the stairs, collecting himself at the bottom before stalking over to the door and opening it, hiding his hurt as best he could.

Kouta looked up from where he'd been furiously typing another message, his face widening into an almost comical smile as Kaito finally opened the door. He was so happy about not being blown off that it took him a moment to realize that his rival was looking both a little worse for the wear… and a little more undone than usual, chest peeking through where his shirt hung only half-buttoned. "I knew you were home!" he greeted Kaito cheerfully, ducking under his arm to slide past him into the main room, not giving him the opportunity to change his mind.

Kaito closed the door, locking it again, and took a breath before turning around.

"Why are you here, Kouta?" It didn't come out as venomous as he wanted it to be. He couldn't muster the energy to be that angry - Kouta's smiley face was actually making him feel _better_ , somehow. Kaito knew what it felt like to make it to the top. It was a grand feeling.

He just didn't know why Kouta wanted to spend time with someone he'd surpassed.

Telling Kaito the truth - that he was here to check up on him after his ugly fight with Bravo - probably wouldn't go over that well. Kouta hadn't forgotten how Kaito had brushed off his offer of a hand after the debacle with Hase and Jounouchi, and the general amount of pride with which he generally carried himself. At the same time, he couldn't really bring himself to outright lie about the obvious circumstances of the last few days… or to be blunt enough to say that he hadn't meant for it to take this long to come by.

Offering a nonchalant shrug with his continued smile, Kouta tried, as usual, to make light of the situation to keep the peace. After all, he hadn't come here for a fight this time… far from it. "I just wanted to let you know that Micchi helped me take care of that Bravo jerk… but I guess you already heard about it."

Kaito grit his teeth.  _Micchi and Kouta. Team Gaim with the win._ At least Kouta hadn't come here to gloat.

He made for the stairs again as calmly as he could manage, but he was still in a great deal of pain. Every flicker of hurt just reminded him how he'd lost - and how  _badly_ he'd lost. "Information passed on. You can go. Or stay. Whatever."

Kouta watched Kaito as he carefully climbed the stairs, already knowing his body language well enough to tell that he was hiding his injuries as best he could. Telling him he didn't need to do that probably wouldn't stop him, though, so Kouta chose not to comment as he followed a few paces behind him. "Well, if you're giving me a choice, I'm gonna pick stay," he answered evenly, not sure quite what else to say yet. The last time he'd been here, things had been so very charged and heated between them. It wasn't as if he'd ever come by just to… hang out.

"Your choice." Kaito managed to keep in his sigh of relief as he hit the last stair, striding towards his room. He knew he couldn't be hiding anything too well, but he'd be damned if he let that mask slip. "Can't imagine I'm  _anywhere_ near as exciting as whatever party your team must be holding, but I can't blame you for refusing that bastard's cake."

"He's not even a Beat Rider!" Kouta complained, glad for someone who could truly understand his irritation. "It seems stupid to gain  _or_ lose points from someone who doesn't care about dancing or having a team!" The entire thing had pissed him off from the start, but somehow he didn't think kicking Bravo's ass was going to get rid of him for good. On the contrary, Kouta was already worried that it might just bring the crazy patissier back for more. "That jerk just wants the excuse to beat people up!"

Kouta at least had the same view about the flamboyant fighter as he did. Someone with no stakes in it shouldn't be playing the game. "And he had it, until someone stronger came along." Kaito eased himself back onto the bed, sighing a bit as he finally sat down. "You, apparently."

"....congratulations, by the way." He may have been sore, physically and emotionally, but that didn't mean that Kouta hadn't just accomplished something major for himself. The world moved on, and Kaito needed to catch up. Until then, well, it wasn't too terrible having his rival in the spotlight.

"Thanks..." Kouta started, kicking off his sneakers before meandering over to sit down on the edge of the bed. "But I definitely couldn't have done it without Micchi's help and that weird Watermelon Lock Seed."

It's not that he wasn't proud and pleased to have taken care of the bully, at least temporarily, but he also knew it'd been partly due to help and luck.

Kouta was certainly making himself comfortable, and it wasn't that Kaito particularly minded, but he was still wasn't sure why Kouta was even here. "Well, you're great. I'm fine." The unspoken question lingered after his words. _Why are you here?_

Because he knew Kaito's temperament pretty well by now, Kouta kept his words light even as he met his rival's gaze. "...are you really fine?"

Kouta had noticed the careful way Kaito was moving and even though he wouldn't actually say it out loud, he was definitely worried. He'd seen that ugly fight on the Beat Rider's hotline after running into Kaito at Druper's and it had not ended well.

Kouta's concern stung more than any physical pain. Kaito was still so weak, even after all this time.

The least he could do was not show it.

He shifted quickly to straddle Kouta, entirely ignoring as his side flared with pain, pushing him down onto the bed, kissing him aggressively. He pulled away after a moment, breath shaky. "I'm... fine."

The movement was so quick after the labored way Kaito had climbed the stairs that Kouta was momentarily startled, kissing him back out of desire and reflex. But he could tell as soon as Kaito broke the kiss that despite his aggressive action, his words were not the truth. Looking up into the eyes he'd begun to know pretty well, Kouta could read the hidden pain, and his eyebrows slanted in obvious concern and frustration he attempted to protest without outright calling Kaito a liar. "You don't seem okay to me…" Hand shifting slightly, he brushed fingers against Kaito's arm. "And you're leaning all your weight to one side."

Kaito struggled to keep his breaths even, face twisting with the effort. He refused to move, far too stubborn to let this - to let Kouta's  _concern_ \- beat him. "It's nothing permanent. I'll be fine."

Kouta's frustration deepened at what he saw as Kaito's inability to be honest with him, and though he was careful not to touch too hard, he shoved a hand against Kaito's uninjured shoulder to push him away. "Yeah, you  _will_ be, I'm sure… but right now, you're  _not_ … so don't…don't…" His words were too tongue-tied as always. "…treat this like another battle."

Kaito rolled back off of Kouta as he pushed, flopping over on the bed. His everything  _ached_ . "Then what should I treat it like, _rival_ ?" The words were affectionately teasing, even if Kaito was frustrated. He was too tired for anger at this point. "It's  _not_ a celebration."

It was unusual for Kaito to relinquish control so quickly, but Kouta only took that as a further sign that he was right about how poorly his rival was feeling. Rolling onto his side, his head pillowed against one hand, he tried and failed not to smile. "I told you I didn't come here to celebrate…" he started, a beat of hesitation before he reached out with his other hand, fingers feathering through Kaito's hair. It was definitely a softer gesture than anything he'd done during their previous encounters, but he always tried to trust his gut intuition.

When he had been broken and beaten, Mai had come and looked after him, as a friend, as a comrade… and he couldn't help feeling like it wasn't wrong of him to want to do the same for Kaito. That day, he had just simply wanted Mai's company and comfort… and in the same way, he wanted to be here with Kaito now. How could he put words to that without it sounding sentimental or weak, though? Nope, he knew it was better to appeal to Kaito's view on things if he wanted to actually get anywhere. "We might be rivals, but against that Bravo jerk, we're also definitely comrades…"

Kaito caught Kouta's hand, nipping at his fingertips. "Comrades, hm?" Kouta really was trying to comfort him, wasn't he? It was kind of endearing. Kaito hated being coddled, but this... wasn't that. Kouta was aware enough to not do anything too obnoxiously doting, and the waves of concern rolling off of him were actually beginning to get through.

Kaito tugged on his arm, enough to pull Kouta over him, catching his lips again briefly. "You sound like you're going soft, Kouta. What's next? Allies? _Friends_?" The teasing, the flirting, that all felt more natural than any concern or sentiment. Still, it was conceding that Kouta wasn't just here to annoy him, and that Kaito didn't mind as much as he might seem to anyway.

There was no way in hell that Kouta was going to admit to the fact that he already did think of Kaito as a friend, but he felt himself relaxing a little at the verbal jabs. The edge in Kaito's voice had slid away with his teasing, and rather than actually giving himself away with an answer, Kouta leaned in and kissed the other boy again, less briefly this time. All he really wanted was to stay here with Kaito for awhile, and it seemed that, for whatever reason, Kaito was willing to let him.

Kouta's lips were on his again, and Kaito refused to think about why this felt more comfortable than small talk. He slid his hand up Kouta's arm, pressing patterns into his neck, behind his ear, through his hair. Maybe - just  _maybe_ \- Kouta could distract him for a while.

It'd be a welcome reprieve.

Kaito seemed receptive enough, so Kouta shifted until he could gently shove a knee between his rival's leg's, moving further on top of him while still being mindful of what he could tell was injured. He kept their kiss soft but intense, tracing the insides of Kaito's lips with his tongue as his hand swept through already mussed hair again. This was the first time that Kaito hadn't tried so hard to lead or dominate him, and Kouta couldn't help but feel like that was also some sort of measure of growing trust.

Kouta's tongue was maddening, and Kaito pulled it into his mouth, sucking gently. He squeezed Kouta's shoulder lightly, hand sneaking inside his shirt, dragging nails across the nape of his neck. Kaito would let Kouta take the lead, grudgingly, but he wasn't going to lose his fire because of a few small injuries.

Kaito was a lot less dressed than usual - no jacket, no vest, and with only a few buttons on his shirt haphazardly done - and Kouta couldn't help but take advantage of the fact. He gasped into their kiss as Kaito's nails dragged across his neck and slipped his own hand carefully into the familiar burgundy shirt, fingertips delighting in warm skin from collarbone down to a nipple.

Kaito shivered as Kouta's hand spread a much more pleasurable heat through him, arching just slightly into his touch. He shifted his other hand to the edge of Kouta's shirt, pushing it up in the back so he could rake his nails down Kouta's spine as well.

It would be too easy to get lost in the moment, gasping into their kiss as Kaito's nails sent chills down his spine, but Kouta hadn't forgotten why he'd come by in the first place. Flipping open the few closed buttons on Kaito's shirt with one-handed ease, he traced delicate fingers over ribs, trying to hide the fact that he was checking for serious injuries within the intimacy of his touch.

Kaito pulled away from their kiss, hissing slightly as Kouta brushed over the worst of his injuries. His side was a mottled black and blue, worse than anything Kaito had endured in recent history. "...careful," he murmured, knowing there was no way to hide anything now.

Kouta nodded slowly as Kaito pulled away from their kiss, his fingers tracing each rib as delicately as possible, glad when it didn't  _seem_ like anything was broken. But it looked about as ugly as his bruises had the day after that fight with the White Rider, so he knew what kind of pain Kaito must be in. Still guided by intuition, he found himself sliding down just a little, pressing his lips to Kaito's collarbone.

Kaito tangled a hand in Kouta's hair, breathing shallowly. He didn't want Kouta to stop, but that didn't make the bruises hurt any less. They'd both have to be careful if they were to continue.

Trailing feather-light kisses down from Kaito's collarbone, Kouta took the hand in his hair as permission to continue, next swirling his tongue around a nipple as he gently pushed the opened shirt further aside.

Kaito bit back a noise, hand curling against Kouta's scalp. This was soft and gentle and maddening, completely unlike anything they'd done before.

Kouta let his teeth graze over Kaito's nipple, just a pinch of pain in the middle of his gentleness. Kaito could have stopped him easily if he wanted to, with a hand wound into his hair, but he didn't, and so Kouta continued, tracing his tongue down the line of a rib on his uninjured side.

Kaito shuddered, hissing as the movement shot another bolt of pain down his side. The pleasure-pain was intoxicating, and Kaito couldn't help but hope Kouta would continue his path downward, the thought of the other boy's lips wrapped around him making him twitch.

The hiss of pain might have worried Kouta if he had not known better, but it was more than a little obvious by now that they both enjoyed that sort of thing. Kouta also knew he wasn't doing anything that was going to injure him further. In fact, getting Kaito to  _relax_ so he could get some rest might be exactly the right medicine.

Kaito's skin was warm and flushed under Kouta's lips as he slowly trailed a line of kisses and licks towards his belly button, a little bit surprised he hadn't been stopped or scolded or teased yet. What he wanted to do was not something they'd done before, though he'd done it with Yuuya once at his urging, months ago, not long before he'd left the team to look for a job. With everything that had happened, that night certainly felt like a lifetime ago.

As Kouta dipped lower and lower, Kaito finally tightened the hand in his hair, tugging until he got eye contact. "Kouta." His face was flushed, desire in his eyes betraying the depths of his arousal. This wasn't something he got anyone to do often, even though it was something he enjoyed quite thoroughly. "Don't tease me unless you're really willing to do this."

Kouta's worried expression softened into a smile at the words and he shook his head slightly. "…if you'll let me…?" he asked softly, letting his hand drift over to palm Kaito through his pants. He could see clearly in Kaito's eyes that he  _wanted_ it, and that made Kouta desire to do it even more.

Kaito groaned, hips lifting into Kouta's hand, eyes still locked together. Kouta seemed willing, and maybe even eager. "Do it." Kaito relaxed again, hand still curled in Kouta's hair, the pain of his bruises barely a dull throb under the thrill of arousal running through him.

Biting his lip to hold back a snicker at the commanding tone, Kouta merely nodded, shifting a little further as he unzipped Kaito's pants. Pulling them away enough to comfortably free his cock, he leaned in and breathed warm air over the tip, feeling his heart give a little flip. This was a completely different kind of intimacy than what they'd done so far, and the closest he'd come to having Kaito at his mercy.

Kaito tilted his hips towards Kouta, breath shaky, entirely focused on Kouta's lips that close to his cock. His hand tightened in Kouta's hair again, a point of contact, anchoring him.

Kouta trailed his fingertips up the underside of Kaito's cock, listening for a moment to his shaky breathing, and then he leaned the last inch in and carefully licked the tip.

Kaito let out a long breath, hips twitching up. "Kouta..." He was trying to not be impatient, but it was fucking  _hard_ .

Offering one last cheeky grin, Kouta finally gave in, taking Kaito fully into his mouth, his tongue dragging along the underside as he sank down as far as he could go.

Kaito groaned, eyes fluttering shut, hips rolling into Kouta's warmth. He wrenched his eyes back open as soon as he had the thought, unwilling to miss any more of the absolutely lewd sight of Kouta's lips sliding over his dick than he already had.

The sound of Kaito's groan made Kouta's own cock twitch, but he ignored it, eyes closed as he focused on the swirl of his tongue as he bobbed slowly up and down. His hand wrapped around the base, stroking a little every time he pulled far enough off to suck at the tip. Maybe he'd only done this once before, but… he'd also had it done  _to_ him by Yuuya, and he remembered quite keenly what had felt the best.

Kaito found himself completely unable to stop his vocalizations, hand tightening in Kouta's hair. Kouta's mouth felt good and looked even better, stretched around him lewdly. "I thought you...  _nn_ , hadn't done this before...  _aahhh_ , Kouta."

Kouta flushed red with the question, flicking his tongue teasingly across the slit before pulling off with an embarrassed fluster. "Ah…well…umm…." It felt funny to be answering this question while looking up the length of Kaito's body to where his eyes were quite fixed on what Kouta was doing, but… he felt even more awkward at the idea of trying to lie about it. "I hadn't ever…" he waved one hand vaguely, eyes flickering off to the side, "…anything  _we've_ done together, honest…" He gave the smallest shrug, trying not to make a big deal out of it, and he hoped Kaito wouldn't either. "But…this… particular thing… I did do once before…" He wanted to resume doing it right now, too, but somehow thought he shouldn't until he'd gotten a response from Kaito.

Kaito hadn't expected any response, much less  _that_ response, and the flare of jealousy in his chest surprised him even more. He tried to keep his voice conversational, but it was definitely tipping towards the dark end. "With who?" Kaito had a few guesses, but kept his imagination in check while he waited for an answer.

Flinching at the suddenly abrasive tone, Kouta sat back on his knees, eyebrows furrowing with indecision. Was Kaito… _jealous_ ? "Does that mean I can ask you who you've been with?" he snapped back, a little more defensive than he meant to be.

Kaito bit back a harsh remark, pushing himself up to a half-sit as well. "If you want to know." He didn't care if Kouta knew. He didn't care if  _anyone_ knew. It wasn't exactly a mark of shame.

Still, he asked first. Kaito wound his hand around the back of Kouta's neck, pulling them nose to nose. "Tell me." Gentler, this time. Curious.

Kouta relaxed a little as Kaito pulled him in close, his voice softer, more curious than angry… and jealous or not, it's not like Kaito could go pick a fight with Yuuya when he'd been missing for weeks. "It was months ago," he finally said, his heart picking up pace a little, though it was hard to tell if it was due to their proximity or the topic. He still felt really uncomfortable about the entire situation with Yuuya having vanished without a trace. "After a party with the team, before I quit…" He paused again, swallowed, but his eyes didn't leave Kaito's when he finally gave an answer instead of an explanation. "With Yuuya."

Team Gaim's leader. No wonder he was so awkward about it. Kaito stemmed another wave of jealousy, leaning in the last bit to kiss Kouta firmly. "Let's do something else." That mood was gone. Not that he'd let the topic go entirely - Kouta had looked far too good sucking his dick for him to just leave it be.

Kaito rolled them over, wincing as his side twinged again. He attempted to arrange himself over Kouta but ended up mostly gritting his teeth against the pain in his side and arm, ending up awkwardly balanced on his good arm.

Kouta frowned up at Kaito as he winced and shifted around, trying to balance himself. "Stop, Kaito…" he said gently, reaching one hand up to touch his cheek. He didn't want to insult him, but he also didn't want to see him injure himself any further. "…this isn't going to work either." He'd wanted to ask Kaito about his own prior experiences, but it seemed far more important at the moment to keep him from being stupid with his bravado.

Kaito hesitated for another moment before rolling back onto his back, growling. His injuries had only managed to get more irritating as the night had gone on, and it was absolutely grating on his nerves at this point.

"There's got to be something, though…I don't wanna leave you like this." Kouta rolled after him, easily straddling his hips and placing one hand just outside Kaito's shoulder as he looked down at him with a frown. "If you won't let me suck you off, then…" He slid his other hand down to graze his fingers along Kaito's dick again. "Do you want me to jerk you off instead?"

Kaito was tempted, but he wasn't the only one unsatisfied. "And leave this alone?" He trailed a hand down as well, groping Kouta's obvious erection. Their positioning reminded Kaito of a much better plan "...you  _could..._ ride me."

Kouta would have genuinely tried to content himself with being able to take care of Kaito, but the sharp inhale he let out when Kaito groped him made it painfully obvious that he wouldn't have been thrilled about it. "I…" he started, contemplating the request. It would mean that Kaito could just stay on his back, not be trying to hold himself up on his injured arm, and if Kouta could be gentle enough, careful enough. "…I would, if you promise not to try and overdo it. I really…" and he leaned down, brushing his lips against Kaito's. " _Really_ don't want you to end up injured any more than you already are."

"...I already told you I'll be  _fine_ ." Kouta's concern was still vaguely annoying, but at least genuine. Kaito couldn't say the same for everyone who'd said they were worried about him today. "But if you insist, I'll promise to stay as still as reasonably possible." He slid a hand over Kouta's cheek, pulling him down for another long kiss, murmuring against his lips. "As long as you can pick up the slack."

Waiting until the kiss ended naturally, Kouta shook his head slightly, muttering against Kaito's lips. "So now I have to keep from injuring you  _and_ make you eat those words,  _rival_ ?" He was teasing, mostly, and didn't give Kaito a chance to answer before he carefully maneuvered himself back down to the foot of the bed. Grabbing Kaito's pants where he'd left them hanging open, he pulled them carefully the rest of the way off, leaving them in a puddle at his feet.

Now  _this_ was a nice turn-around from last time - Kaito nearly nude and at his mercy, while he himself was still entirely clothed. Kouta couldn't help the slight smug to his smile as he slowly unzipped his hoodie, eyes fixed on Kaito's face.

Kaito hummed as Kouta moved. "Exactly. High standards, I know." Kaito might have continued, but the look Kouta was fixing him with made his mouth go dry. He licked his lips, halfway sitting up so he could watch the show.

Kouta let his hoodie slip from his shoulders, watching intently as Kaito licked his lips. He enjoyed seeing that much  _want_ openly etched in the other boy's expression and he continued to grin as he pulled his shirt over his head next, letting that drop to the floor too. He had not an ounce of shame about letting Kaito look at him, either, as dancing for so many years had left him plenty proud of his physique, and he could hide any embarrassed nerves within his already arousal-flushed face.

Kaito didn't bother to hide his appreciation, eyes roaming over the planes of Kouta's body. He'd never bother hiding his appreciation for someone so entirely attractive. Especially when they were about to be riding him. The thought of it made him shiver, definitely impatient by this point.

This wasn't  _really_ meant to be a striptease, so Kouta didn't draw it out any further than needed, his pants hitting the floor a moment later. Trying not to jostle Kaito too much, he resumed his earlier position straddling his rival's hips, teeth sinking into his lower lip to bite back a moan when their equally hard cocks brushed against each other. This was definitely a very different vantage point than he'd had the previous two times.

Kaito didn't waste time, hands back on Kouta as soon as he was within reach. One ran down his side, nails dragging lightly over his ribs, trailing over a hipbone and teasing featherlight at his cock. The other aimed higher, halfway tangling in his hair again, pulling Kouta down so he could nip at his ear. "Lube's in the nightstand."

Kouta twitched a little as Kaito's nails dragged over his ribs, but nodded, leaning over him carefully to retrieve what was requested. Shifting his weight only created more friction though, and he couldn't help the soft noise that finally escaped his lips as he dropped the lube into Kaito's open hand.

Kaito couldn't help the bolt of heat that ran through him at that noise, carefully wrapping his hand around both of them at once. "You don't have to be quiet." He shifted his hips, exhaling slowly as their dicks rubbed against each other. "There's no one else here."

"I know…" Kouta breathed back, another whine of pleasure escaping as Kaito touched him, both of them, again. The feeling of both of their dicks crammed into his hand was  _sooo_ good and he couldn't help but rock against Kaito's hand, desperate for more. He hadn't exactly been quiet last time, and even though he knew Kaito enjoyed hearing him, he still felt just the slightest bit awkward that someone was even able to  _get_ those kinds of sounds out of him. " _Hnnn_ … I can't… really hold it in anyway."

"Good," Kaito breathed, suddenly completely impatient again, releasing his hold so he could slick up his fingers. He wanted to be inside Kouta, and if he didn't move that wasn't going to happen. His angle wasn't the best, but he slid his hand between Kouta's legs, pressing up into him gently.

Kouta moved with him, shifting his hips down onto Kaito's fingers with another soft noise, his eyes fluttering shut for a moment as he adjusted. He felt equally impatient, but remembering just how long he'd been sore over their last encounter, he couldn't find himself minding that they were taking just a _little_ bit more slowly this time.

Kaito worked quickly, opening up Kouta with little fanfare, free hand pulling the other boy down so he could kiss up the side of his neck. He tried not to think too much about how good Kouta felt around him already, distracting himself with the taste of Kouta's skin and the sounds he was making.

It was difficult with Kaito distracting him in more ways than one, but Kouta managed to keep his focus just enough to keep his weight off of Kaito's injuries. His breathing grew more ragged and uneven as they moved and finally he couldn't stand the teasing build-up anymore, letting out a soft noise of complaint against Kaito's ear.

Kaito growled in response, unable to help the shudder that ran through him. He slid his fingers back out, slicking himself up and nudging Kouta back up a little so he could position them both. "Your turn," he whispered, cock pressing lightly at Kouta's entrance.

It was utterly thrilling to Kouta to have the control this time. Utterly overwhelming... to watch Kaito's dark lust-filled eyes fixed upon him as he slowly shifted his hips down… to feel Kaito's hot, hard cock slowly split him apart and fill him up… to hear his own strangled noise of pleasure as they joined tightly and completely together.

Kaito shifted his hands to Kouta's thighs, squeezing as his hips twitched up into Kouta's heat, eyes locked on the other boy's blissed-out face. Kouta was even more open than he'd been before, lacking the anxiety of the first time and the simmering anger of the second. It was thrilling in a way Kaito hadn't expected.

Kouta was careful to balance his own weight on his hands, keeping as much of it off of Kaito as he could. He slowly slid off almost all the way before thrusting his hips downwards again, taking him in faster and a little deeper the second time, his breathing catching with the pleasure of the motion.

Kaito's hips rose to meet Kouta's motion, eyes squeezing shut as his nails dug into Kouta's legs. The lack of control was torturous, and all Kaito wanted to do was roll them over and pound into Kouta until he couldn't walk in the morning, but a breath the wrong way and the twinge in his side reminded him why they were here in the first place. Kaito had promised to behave, so he would, but it wasn't easy.

Although he made every effort to start their pace slow, with every downward thrust of himself onto Kaito's cock, he got a little more intense about it. Kouta was determined not to injure Kaito further, but at the same time, pleasure was getting the better of his conscious thoughts. His eyes slipped closed, his breathing ragged and uneven with the effort to keep himself in check, especially as it was too easy to tell that Kaito wanted more too.

Kaito slid a hand up, trailing over Kouta's dick again, breath almost as unsteady as Kouta's. "Thought you were... going to pick up the slack, Kouta." There was no bite to his words, all smooth light teasing, halfway trying to get Kouta to go faster, moan louder,  _something_ .

Kouta knew he was being teased, but he couldn't help but rise to the challenge, picking up the pace with a soft gasp. "Trying to tell me... you're not enjoying this?" Kaito's hand on his dick only unraveled his control that much further and he leaned down to crash their mouths together, biting at his lower lip.

Kaito almost got a response out before Kouta's mouth was on his, free hand tangling in Kouta's hair. He took Kouta's dick fully in hand this time, stroking him somewhat in time with their rhythm.

Moaning into their kiss, Kouta finally let his conscious thoughts slip away, losing himself to the blur of taste and touch. Every slam of his hips down onto Kaito's cock sent sparks up his spine, and Kouta didn't want it to end. Not yet. Not until he knew he'd dragged Kaito over the edge with him as intended.

Kaito was reveling in the sound, the feel of Kouta around him, on top of him, tangled with him. Kouta squeezed as he moaned and Kaito found himself groaning in return, far closer to the edge than he'd realized. He pushed Kouta back just a bit, wanting to see the look on his face.

Kouta's eyes had been squeezed shut with pleasure but as Kaito pushed him back a little, they fluttered open, dark with lust and impending release. "Kai…Kaito…" he choked out, no hesitation in their increasingly frantic pace.

The gasp of his name and the look of passion on Kouta's face pulled Kaito over the edge, moaning Kouta's name as his body drew tight, shuddering with pleasure.

Kouta managed half a grin in triumph before he let himself succumb to pleasure in return, moaning Kaito's name again as he tumbled into bliss.

Kaito attempted to catch his breath as his body slowly wound down, finding it harder than usual in his current state. The lingering sparks in his system were more than enough to keep him from feeling pain, though... for the moment.

Not wanting to crush Kaito underneath him, Kouta waited only long enough to catch his breath before carefully rolling off. Safely tucked against Kaito's side, he let himself go boneless for a moment, enjoying the flickers of pleasure lulling him into contented drowsiness.

Kaito automatically wrapped his arm around Kouta's shoulder, keeping him close. His thoughts were still a jumbled mess from pleasure, but he caught himself thinking that this was...  _nice_ . The two of them, curled together like this.

Kouta's thoughts meandered, marveling a little as Kaito kept him tugged in close. He'd never really been like this with anyone before… even if he and Mai had, well…  _cuddled_ a little from time to time, it had been in a friendly way, and they had certainly still had all of their clothes. There was something really… intimate… about just being like this together, and he really didn't want it to end. Still, when he'd barely gotten Kaito to let him in the front door tonight, it felt way too presumptuous to ask if he could stay.

As he finally came back down to reality, Kaito grumbled, squeezing Kouta's shoulder lightly before sliding away. He attempted to push himself up to sit, hissing as his side protested the movement, flopping back in momentary defeat, flexing his sore arm instead.

Rolling to a sitting position, Kouta frowned a little, no longer willing to hide his concern. "Hey, will you let me take a look at your arm?" Holding up both hands defensively, he waved them a little with a shake of his head. "Not trying to make it a pity party, but it's kinda  _hard_ to bandage your own arm one-handed." Not bothering to wait for a response, he stood up and shuffled towards the bathroom, gesturing with one thumb. "First aid stuff in the bathroom? Heh, and, uh... maybe a towel too?"

Kouta had a good point - Kaito hadn't been able to bandage his arm properly since he got back, and it's not like bandaging ribs was any easier. Everything still hurt, anyways. "Shelf on the left. And..." He looked down at his chest, grimacing a bit. "Yeah."

Kouta had the grace to blush a little over that grimace, but he hid it, turning back towards the bathroom to retrieve everything they needed. Returning, he sat down on the edge of the bed, half-holding out the towel and half-aiming just to clean up the mess if he was permitted, and save Kaito the unnecessary movement. "…I didn't injure you any worse, I hope."

Kaito had hauled himself back to a sitting position by the time Kouta returned, taking the towel with a murmured thanks and wiping himself off. At Kouta's words, he flexed his arm again and made a show of taking a couple of deep breaths. "...definitely not any worse than before you got here."  _Maybe better_ .

"Good…" Kouta smiled and slid a little closer, opening the first aid kit to find something to properly clean the wounds with first. He'd done this more than enough times for himself, even before he'd become a rider, for dance injuries and other feats of clumsiness, so there was little hesitation in his movements as he reached for Kaito's arm.

Kaito let Kouta take his arm, holding back a wince as he cleaned the wound. He watched Kouta work, a touch amused at how easily this came to him. Kouta really _had_ opened up and relaxed around him, now.

"There…" Kouta murmured as he finished and let go of Kaito's arm. "That ought be a lot more comfortable to sleep with tonight." Lifting his eyes, he tilted his head with an inquiring look, seeing as he hadn't gotten any complaints about his work so far. "You want me to take a look at your ribs too?"

Kaito stretched out his arm a bit, trying to not look too impressed. It was definitely a decent bandaging job. There was certainly no reason to stop him. "...if you'd like. Can't bandage those by myself, anyways."

There wasn't really an ounce of shame between them by now, so Kouta didn't bother to get dressed at all before maneuvering around Kaito in various positions to take care of those wounds without him needing to move very much. He was really glad he'd gotten Kaito to let him in, almost as much for this purpose as for for getting him to relax in the first place. Kouta would have wondered where Kaito's team was at a time like this, but he supposed Kaito didn't want them to see him in this manner anymore than he'd wanted Kouta to see him.

Kaito let Kouta bustle about, halfway watching him. He seemed so eager to help, so genuinely concerned... Kaito was, after all this, glad that he'd given in to Kouta's pestering. Zack and Peco had left when he asked, even if they had been throwing worried glances to each other, and he'd been absolutely drowning in his own thoughts since then. Kouta's disturbance was, for once, very appreciated.

Only once he was completely satisfied with his work did Kouta rise from the bed again, returning the supplies to the bathroom, still completely unclothed. He still felt like he wanted to stay, but Kaito hadn't said anything, hadn't asked him or even insinuated… so it was probably time to collect his things and head home. The thought made his heart ache, and the ache made his stomach flip, and the stomach flipping made him wonder just how much his heart had gotten tangled up in whatever this was between them.

Kaito shuffled himself up and finally pulled on some boxers, chucking his pile of clothes somewhere near where they should go. He'd deal with it in the morning, but for now, he needed sleep, the fatigue finally catching up with him. He curled back up on the bed, far more comfortable than he'd been before, mind and body quieted. His thoughts drifted as he lay there, only half-awake, pulling himself away from sleep at least until Kouta had left, although he couldn't help but consider how warm the bed would be with both of them in it.

Kouta watched Kaito curl up in the bed as he slowly pulled his clothes on piece by piece. It was the calmest and…softest…. he'd ever seen Kaito be, both in expression and body language. It made him happy to think he was a lot better off than he'd been when Kouta had first shown up. "…I'll let myself out," he said softly, reaching out to touch Kaito's shoulder with one hand, words trailing off momentarily. "…so you don't have to get up again."

Kaito caught Kouta's hand, tugging him down so he could kiss him gently. He struggled for words, finally settling on the easiest answer, though he wasn't sure it was what he really wanted to say.

"...good night."

 

 


End file.
